At Least We Tried
by YellowGrenade
Summary: POV, AU fic set after MK9. Sub-Zero and the other Defenders deal with the aftermath of Shao Kahn and his regime. Some OOC-ness. Eventual M/M
1. SubZero: The Silence Is Deafening

**Author's Note:** Hello reader, please enjoy my little story. We'll see how far this progresses. I've had this in my head for a while now. This takes place after MK9 but with some obvious changes. I REFUSE to do Cyber Sub-Zero. Sorry, lol. There's a few elements from other games, too. Don't try to match it with any one timeline. :P And I apologize for any grammatical mistakes, and if I made anyone too OOC. Also this story will be told mostly from Sub-Zero's point of view, but I'll include others' as well.

**Warnings:** Rated M for language, and other adult content. This story will have eventual slash. So fair warning if you do not like that sort of thing.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

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><p>I stopped running only to catch my breath.<p>

It seemed I was no longer being followed. Odd...

The Living Forest was filled with obstacles, and the heat of the Outworld day was taking its toll on me. I leaned against one of the few non-threatening trees, resting my head against my arm, and closed my eyes.

Hours before, the thunder god Raiden had given me the task of finding a portal our group could use to get to Edenia; one of the newly freed realms. And supposedly one of the more friendly.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to find any portal, and I was ambushed by more Tarkatan soldiers than I could handle. I had been forced to run away, but now I was having trouble finding my new allies. Our camp was in a small clearing deep in the woods, where we believed it was safely concealed.

Stupid forest.

I took a moment to reflect on all that had transpired in the past week or so. I truly thought it had been bad enough that my clan had tried to turn me into a soulless machine against my will, but then to have to fight against Shao Kahn himself?

I should be dead. We should all be dead. But Liu Kang proved to everyone that humans aren't weak beings at all, and defeated Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat. The result had been the demerging of all the realms the Emperor had claimed. It was chaotic to say the least.

In the aftermath, Raiden had gathered all of the Earthrealm fighters he could, along with some foreign allies. His plan was to bring Kitana back into Edenia and onto her rightful place on the throne, while destroying the remnants of Shao Kahn's army. It was no easy task, but I felt indebted to the thunder god, who so graciously saved my life from automation.

Still, I was not comforted even if Raiden believed that together we could set the realms to rights. I knew I had nothing to go back to if we succeeded. I was wanted for death by my clan; for deserting, for disobeying. But, I was not entirely alone. My clan-brother, Smoke, was in the same boat.

It was all so fucked up.

And I would not allow myself to think of Bi-Han.

Forcing myself back to the present, I pushed off against the tree, wiping sweat and dirt from my brow, and continued in the direction I hoped my allies and their makeshift campsite were.

I glanced behind me several times to make sure I wasn't still being followed. It was strange that those Tarkatan creatures had so suddenly stopped their pursuit of me. Very strange.

* * *

><p>"Room service!" someone whined. "How I miss you!"<p>

I abruptly stopped my trek and listened carefully. The voice came some distance from the right of me, not too far ahead.

After giving my heart a moment to resume a regular pattern, it dawned on me that the voice was familiar. With great relief I made my way through the forest – then with less relief as I realized it was Johnny Cage who spoke.

The sudden rustling noise just ahead of him made Johnny jump to his feet.

He got into a fighting stance as I came through the trees and brush towards him. Just as quickly as Cage had tensed up ready for attack—he exhaled sharply and relaxed. I figured I was easy enough to recognize.

"Hey, Sub-Zero. Phew, you really know how to scare the crap out of a guy!"

"Where are the others?" I asked, dismissively. I didn't want to let this man know that I'd been startled myself when I heard his sudden outburst. At least I'd gone in the right direction after all.

"Well," Johnny replied. "Raiden decided it was a good idea to look for more support. Y'know, find more peeps to join our little group, I guess. And he told everyone else to scout for more Tarkatan troops. Just in case."

"After I had already left, of course," I commented.

Johnny winced. "I guess you ran into some trouble yourself, huh?"

"Yes."

"So…. No portal?"

"No."

"Yeah, okay. That blows." Johnny sat down next to a dead campfire and smiled, "We'll find one…eventually."

I could not share in Cage's optimism and decided to lay down, a bit farther away and under some shade. I pulled off my mask and cowl, setting it down beside me. Johnny took notice that I had been staying mask-less more often.

"Why do you bother wearing that thing at all?" asked Johnny.

"It's necessary, to hide one's identity." Now it was mostly out of habit, as it was part of the Lin Kuei uniform. I stared up at the sky from where I lay. "I suppose there's no need for me to do so anymore."

"How come?"

"I no longer belong…to a clan."

Johnny frowned at my sullen words, then immediately brightened. "P'shaw! You belong with us now. The Earthrealm Defenders! Not a bad movie title by the way…"

He stopped a moment to bask in his own genius, then said, "Hey, I could start wearing a ninja mask if it'd make you feel better."

I smiled in spite of myself and said, "I thought you already have, _Ninja Mime_..."

"Ohoho! So you saw that one, huh? It was pretty awesome."

I gave a small snort in response.

"Oh c'mon, don't be jealous you're not a star like me! I bet you didn't see it in 3D. It was waaay cooler in 3D. I wonder if Sonya's seen it…"

I sighed.

* * *

><p>The distant sound of voices gently roused me from a dreamless sleep, and I sat up slowly, still fairly groggy. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. <em>I must be more exhausted than I thought<em>, I wondered to myself. _I didn't even hear anyone approach. That's not good_.

I was a bit surprised to see the sky was already getting dark. In Outworld night seemed to come quickly, but still I wondered how long I had slept.

Most of the others appeared to be back and were sitting around a newly lit fire.

Among them, Smoke, who turned to see that I was awake. "Finally," he said in greeting. "We were wondering how long we'd have to wait before we left you here."

I knew my friend was only joking. And I accepted the offered hand as Smoke came over to help me up. Wait. "Are we leaving this realm? Is there a portal?"

I think I failed in keeping the hopeful tone out of my voice.

"No," said Sonya, as we came over to sit with them by the fire. "But we don't think this clearing is safe anymore. We've all agreed it's best to move somewhere… Well, we haven't decided where yet. I guess a few of us will have to go looking in the morning."

"Great," Johnny muttered.

"What happened?" I asked wearily. As I looked around, I noticed that not exactly everyone was present. Doing my best to match the names with the faces I decided that Liu Kang, Kitana, Jax, and Raiden were still missing. While Sonya, Johnny, Kung Lao, Jade, Smoke and myself were here.

We had more allies who were not present. But from what I understood they had gotten separated and stuck in Earthrealm after the defeat of Shao Kahn. Not that I could really consider _them_ the stuck ones; those who were in their home realm. They were lucky.

"There are simply too many Tarkatan out there," said Kung Lao.

"Everywhere," agreed Sonya.

"We went unnoticed, but eventually they will find this place." Kung Lao had his lethal hat in his hands and was running his fingers along the edge of it. He seemed to be itching for a fight. "Their numbers don't seem to be much, but there are clusters in all directions. Obviously they're looking for us."

"But who's the leader? Baraka?" asked Johnny, barely concealing his disgust. The actor always spoke too loudly for my taste.

"Not likely," said Smoke. "Does it matter?"

Sonya glared at the assassin in grey. "Of course it does. There's a big difference between a general like Baraka and one like, say, Shang Tsung."

The group grew quiet as we each became lost in our own thoughts.

I wasn't sure myself that Shang Tsung was truly dead. But it would make sense that he'd try to take over now that his Emperor was gone. And if not him, then who?

Jade turned to me and caught my eye. "You need nourishment," she said, a bit shyly. "We managed to find some fruit that I know is edible. We've all eaten, but this was saved for you." She handed me two medium-sized fruit that were dark purple in color.

"Thank you," I said. I appreciated the kind gesture. And found I was starving.

Jade looked pleased with herself and didn't notice when Johnny began to snicker. A quick elbow to the ribs from Sonya shut him up fast. Hmm.

Kung Lao was about to speak again when Liu Kang entered the clearing, shortly followed by Kitana and Jax.

Again I had missed the signs of someone approaching. I shared a small look with Smoke. We were getting rusty in our exhaustion of this place. The others joined us around the small campfire. Johnny took the liberty of filling them in on all they had missed.

"And still no portal to wherever and still no Raiden," Johnny finished. He grinned and for maybe the hundredth time that day made a gesture to adjust his sunglasses, before realizing he wasn't wearing any. The actor had brought a few spare with him during the Mortal Kombat, but they had all broken since then.

I watched Johnny give a small sigh; he just didn't feel the same without his sunglasses.

"The Tarkatan warriors shouldn't be a problem for us. If we all work together," said Liu.

"There's more of them than there are of us," Sonya pointed out.

"Just leftovers!" said Kung Lao. "I doubt they're disciplined enough, or experienced enough, to really put up a good fight."

"We don't even know if they have a leader," added Smoke. "I'll bet they don't. They're doing their best to keep Outworld as their own. Probably to make one of them the new Emperor. I think we should attack as many as we can tomorrow."

"I believe Shang Tsung is dead. Or at least too weak to be a threat," acknowledged Liu.

"That doesn't mean they're not organized! And they have the numbers!" Sonya growled. It was getting harder for her to control her temper. I assumed she felt the men were not listening to her because she was a woman. It might have been true.

Jax decided to speak. "C'mon guys, let's think this through before we do anything. Back on Earth I've been in charge of quite a few troops, and these freaks look pretty damn organized to me. Whoever is leading them now, we just haven't seen 'em yet."

I had to agree with the Major, though I found his authoritative tone annoying.

"So maybe there is," Kung Lao conceded. He looked angry. "So what's the plan now? Sit and wait? And how do we know _that_ one didn't lead any of those mutants to us?"

Suddenly I had everyone's eyes fixed on me.

"I was not followed," I said, calmly. I didn't appreciate being pointed at, but I wasn't about to start a fight. Not now. "Besides, you already said yourself that our enemies will find us anyway."

"Better not be tonight," Kung Lao muttered. "I need some sleep, after all."

"We all need some sleep. Let's rest and talk it over more in the morning." Liu Kang stood, and I was only grateful that he changed the subject.

"What about Raiden?" blurted Johnny.

Crap.

Everyone froze and the tense mood came back. Not everyone looked worried, but I knew we had all been afraid to voice our concern out loud. The thunder god, our de facto leader, still hadn't shown up.

I'm not optimistic by nature, but a strong part of me refused to believe any harm had come to Raiden. Of course, it _would_ be my luck for him to die and leave us stranded here…

Liu Kang looked much older for a moment as he rubbed a hand over his tired face. "We will wait for Raiden," he said. "He'll be here."

That appeared to be good enough for Johnny, who nodded and proceeded in trying to coerce Sonya into sharing a sleep space with him.

The others stood up and milled around looking for decent places to sleep on the forest floor.

I stayed by the fire, volunteering to put it out. I just wanted to be near it for a few more minutes.

Yes, even I enjoy the warmth of a fire. I am human. Well, mostly, I think. I do prefer colder weather, and I believe my affinity for the ice and cold stems from my natural gift to manipulate the water elements around and within me. This ability does expend a lot of my energies. Despite what many think, my powers are not limitless.

Only ten minutes must've passed, and I was adjusting the straps on my left boot when I noticed Kitana across from me. She hadn't made a move to leave, but her head was cast down and she wasn't really looking at anything.

I didn't know she had stayed; she was so quiet.

The princess looked sad, perhaps lost. But I couldn't bring myself to say anything of comfort.

I simply didn't care. And that thought disappointed me.

Before I could contemplate more on that, Liu Kang came back and sat down once again next to Kitana. They fell into a deep conversation, keeping their voices low. And I wanted to get away from them.

I stood up and raised my hand above the fire, quickly extinguishing it with a spray of frost and ice from my fingertips.

The area immediately became darker, as the sun had set. The moon wasn't full, but it provided adequate lighting. I turned away from the couple, not wanting to see if I interrupted them, and walked toward the solitude of the forest.

* * *

><p>The night air was soothing to my senses.<p>

I enjoyed the light breeze and darkness the forest provided. And I took caution to make sure none of the trees surrounding me were the flesh-eating kind.

As I stood there, I realized the silence I had sought might not have been the best idea.

There was so much to think about, and all of it horrible. How did I end up here? What would I do without the Lin Kuei?

I bit my lip. No point in worrying now. I must look forward. What's done is done.

Blah, blah…

An overwhelming sense of dread suddenly overtook me and I almost lost my breath. This feeling of death and sorrow crept up my spine as I tried not to panic.

I'd felt this before.

When my brother Bi-Han was murdered, he became a wraith. He attacked me and I had sensed the Nether surrounding him. I sensed it now.

My heart was beating rapidly, and I felt all the hairs on my neck stand up. _Bi-Han?_

I wasn't sure what became of him, only assuming he went back to the underworld. A part of me was hoping I'd see him again. And a bigger part of me wanted to rip his head off.

I used my anger to steel myself against an attack. But just as quickly that sickening feeling of the Nether washed away. I was still alone in the forest.

Or so I thought.

As I turned to head back to camp I almost ran into a pair of illuminated eyes. I jumped back about a foot off the ground.

"Lord Raiden!" At least I didn't gasp. And I hoped the night hid my embarrassment well.

"Sub-Zero," he gave me a small nod. "I didn't mean to catch you by surprise. I've only just returned."

"Oh." I couldn't think of a more intelligent response.

"Did you succeed in finding a portal?"

"No, I did not." I didn't bother mentioning that I was ambushed. Or that I'd felt the Netherrealm around me a few moments ago. How would I explain that?

Raiden looked toward camp. "It is late. We'll talk more in the morning; when the others are awake."

"Ah. Okay."

"Why are you not with them?" Raiden's gaze was unreadable.

"I thought I heard something." It was somewhat true. Even if he was a god, it was no business of his what I did. "Did you find us another ally?" I made an attempt at changing the subject.

Raiden grinned. "We will see."

Huh?

He turned away from me and headed to camp. To sleep? Did god's need sleep? All this time hiding out in the forest and I never noticed if he did.

Lord Raiden's behavior was hard to read lately. I wondered how many secrets he was keeping from us. But I trusted him.

I decided to stay out on my own for a while longer. No matter how unsettled I felt, I didn't want to sleep yet.

Silently moving further into the woods, I found a more decent spot to sit. I wanted to meditate. It was a pastime encouraged in the Lin Kuei, though not always practiced. It was good for me because I didn't have to be alone with my thoughts. I could just be.

Clearing my mind I sat in a relaxed posture, my hands resting on my knees.

I couldn't tell you exactly how much time had passed, but after a long while I felt vibrations in the ground underneath me. And it stirred me from my meditation.

I opened my eyes and glanced around. _What now?_

The vibrations grew stronger, but with short pauses in between.

A terrible roar rang out through the forest, and at the same time I heard ugly voices surrounding me.

"Shit!" I got to my feet just in time to block an attack from a Tarkatan man. He'd leaped at me from a tree and I managed to quickly form my kori blade before the blades from his arms reached my face.

The brute was wild-eyed and swinging his arms at me erratically. I saw an opening in his actions and kicked him away from me in one powerful movement. The Tarkata went flying and landed against a tree. I swiftly discarded my sword and while it dissipated I used my ice powers to engulf the man from his legs up to his head. He yelled with rage until the ice completely covered his head, silencing him for good.

I was about to shatter the ice form and the being within it when I felt the air behind me change. I quickly ducked as a Tarkatan blade whooshed over where my head had been.

I whipped around, ready for attack. More of these Tarkata creatures were coming out of the darkness, and all of them bloodthirsty. Great.

Three of them ran towards me. I used my ice slide to knock one over and began throwing ice balls at the other two. "You are not enough to defeat me!" I shouted.

That was a lie; it was very possible for them to overtake me. I knew that already. But I also knew I was powerful enough to put up a great fight.

I heard yelling from somewhere in the woods and knew my friends were coming.

Another two Tarkatan men came at me and I used my kori blade to slice off one's head and slash at the other's belly. He countered by trying to stab me directly, nearly piercing my thigh.

As I blocked the warrior's assault with my sword, Smoke teleported behind him and broke his neck.

"Tundra! Are you all right?" Smoke's voice was full of concern, but I shot him an angry glare. I never wanted to hear that name again, and he knew that. It was my previous alias, one that I had all my life, and it carried too many painful memories.

I was a new person now. Originally taking my brother's identity of 'Sub-Zero' to honor him, I now believed I was more worthy of it than he. And what better a way to prove that than this?

"I'm fine!" I snapped. "Do not worry about me."

Smoke's eyes narrowed. "Do not tell me what to do. I _am _older than you, fool."

He lightly punched me on the shoulder before joining in the chaotic battle that was breaking out around us.

"A few years mean nothing!" I shouted after him. Honestly, I'm not that much younger. And I'm taller, too…

"Rawgh!" The cry of an enemy soldier brought me back to the here and now. This one was missing an arm, but he made up for it by trying to bite at me with those gruesome Tarkatan teeth.

I backed up some, trying to put some distance between myself and the brute. With one hand I froze his legs, and in one swift movement I sliced him from his groin up to his head with my blade. The two halves of the body fell apart in a bloody mess.

This is the warrior's way. And the gore does not faze us.

A bloody arm went flying near me, and some of the blood sprayed onto my face. I looked in the direction from where it came and saw Jax eagerly tearing up his enemies. I ran toward him to help anyway.

There was dried blood on his prosthetic arms, and some fresh, and he appeared confident. I briefly wondered if he was such a formidable foe before his enhancements. Perhaps he should thank that abomination Ermac.

I walked up behind some Tarkata that were in a circle fighting him and froze a few. Jax shattered them each with one punch. Two unfrozen foes turned to me and lunged. The Major grabbed one by the head and slammed his face down into the earth. There was a satisfying crunch.

"Aww, yeah!" Jax exclaimed, his adrenaline was pumping. And that was just fine, but he forgot about the other Tarkatan man that jumped at me. He managed to tackle me down before my ally could do anything.

The mutant's fearsome fangs bit into my right forearm, tearing the flesh. He latched on and I gave a pained yell. _Stupid, stupid… _

I yelled again as one of his blades sliced at my left leg above my knee, sawing into it like a razor. The pain nearly blinded me.

With my free arm I reared back as best I could from the ground and punched the fiend so hard my fist pierced his belly. I reached in and froze his insides. The Tarkatan released my arm and made a 'gack!' sound, before freezing completely. Jax pulled the body off of me and threw it into a small group of more Tarkatan. I could still hear my allies fighting fiercely. Good.

Jax ran off, and I sat on the ground dumbly. The pain in my arm was incredible. I groaned and managed to stand up, holding in a scream as I swayed on my good leg, only to fall down again when the ground shook from those vibrations. Only this time they were much stronger.

I looked up to see the cause. It was one of Shao Kahn's hellish beasts. A monstrosity almost two-stories tall, it let out that terrible roar and locked in on me. The creature was brown in color, and didn't appear to have a neck; all I saw was a giant mouth full of sharp teeth and hungry eyes.

The beast raised its arms and stomped towards me.

I backpedaled until my back hit a tree. There was nowhere for me to go.

The monster towered over me and raised a giant clawed hand, I assumed to crush me with, when the blow never came. I had clenched my eyes shut, but opened them when I heard a strange sound, as if it had hit metal. _What is-?_

I looked to see my savior in front of me, with his back facing me. The warrior was on one knee, having blocked the beast's wrist with a long, fiery sword. The monster roared in his face, bearing its weight down upon the weapon. I could see the warrior being pushed down with great force, but he did not falter.

The warrior let out a snarl of his own and with immense power pushed off the ground, sending the beast flying backwards.

My blood went cold when I realized who my savior was. That same spine-tingling feeling came back, as if someone had walked over my grave. This man was not my brother. I felt worse.

_Scorpion…_

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hmm, I'm not sure if that was too long or too short. Or too crappy. Feedback is appreciated! And reviews are love! :) The next chapter might be shorter, I haven't decided yet. And if you can help me come up with a better title, I'd appreciate that too. Lol

-Gren


	2. SubZero: Shatter

**Author's Note:** Thank you to all those that reviewed/faved! It's great motivation for me. And a special thanks to Xelly-chan, for being the first reviewer. I hope you all like this chapter; another pov from Sub-Zero. It's a little shorter this time. Please review! :)

**Warnings:** Rated M for language, and other adult content. This story will have eventual slash. So fair warning if you do not like that sort of thing.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

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><p><em>Scorpion…<em>

The devil-spawned spectre stood before me, and his presence made me sick. I was so confused. What was he doing here? What did he want?

I defeated him in battle before, but I hadn't had the chance to kill him. Not that it would have mattered; he was already dead. He was also the murderer of my brother, who was himself an evil bastard now, but still, I hated Scorpion. I hated him.

The yellow-clad ninja was focused on the monster, and ran towards it with his sword raised. He leaped in the air and brought his blade down onto the beast's skull. It was a quick death, but Scorpion flipped back away from it and used his hellfire to set it ablaze. Just for good measure, I suppose.

A handful of Tarkatan soldiers were left, that much I could see, and they all appeared to be frightened of Scorpion. Sensing their numbers were no longer great, those remaining fled into the night.

My allies came forward, all gathering nearer to me. Raiden went to stand next to Scorpion, and they exchanged a few words I could not hear.

Tarkatan bodies littered the forest, but I wasn't surprised; our group consisted of the best fighters.

The beast's corpse was still burning in the background, giving the immediate area an orange-ish glow. I noticed that my allies fared much better than I had. Only Johnny seemed to be limping.

Liu Kang and Smoke helped me to my feet. Which wasn't easy, because I was in a great deal of pain. I did not want to appear weak, especially in front of Scorpion, but I couldn't help from clutching my arm close to my chest. Those bites hurt like a bitch.

"Scorpion? What the hell is he doing here?" Sonya asked, surprised. I wasn't the only one wary of him.

Jade stepped forward to face Raiden. "That demon should not be here!" she said accusingly, pointing her Bo staff at Scorpion.

"Scorpion means us no harm," Raiden replied. "Listen, calm yourself. I've asked him to—"

"Lord Raiden! How can you trust this devil? He takes orders from Quan Chi!" Kitana exclaimed. Liu Kang placed a hand on her shoulder, protectively.

Johnny Cage raised his hands in a slow-down gesture. "Whoa, ladies c'mon, this guy just helped us out. Not that we really needed it…but I kinda think any Big Bad wouldn't want to offer us help. And look at him. He's just standing there. Non-threatening. Well, mostly."

I had been glaring at Scorpion the whole while. It was hard to tell what his expression was, due to the mask he wore. And those blank, dead eyes gave nothing away. But he radiated danger.

"Raiden, send him away. We cannot trust him!" Kung Lao shouted. "He's a spy!"

The thunder god tried again, "Listen—"

"He killed Sub-Zero's brother," Smoke cut in quickly.

Damn it all. I did not want to talk about this. I shot Smoke a furious look.

"That's right, he did." Jax recalled. "We all saw it."

"Most of us, anyway. I think." Sonya added.

"Sort of," Johnny chimed in. "I mean, they disappeared for a while and then the yellow ninja over there came back alone…with a skull…"

"Johnny!" Sonya scolded.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment. I hadn't known the details of my brother's death. It wasn't too hard to guess what had happened. This whole conversation was making my blood boil.

"I do not need your pity," I hissed.

"Enough!" Raiden thundered. No puns here. His voice literally echoed into the blackness of the forest. Small sparks of electricity fired around his eyes, showing how serious he was. "Now, listen," he began again. "I've asked Scorpion to join us in our quest. He is a strong warrior and will be a great ally to us. I know some of you do not approve-" _Ha! _"-but the more power we have on our side the better."

"Lord Raiden," Kung Lao said cautiously. "You can't have me believe that you've _asked _Scorpion to do anything and he willingly agreed."

"We made a deal," the spectre clarified, in a deep rumble. His voice had a metallic edge to it, and it was nothing but sinister.

Kung Lao looked surprised that Scorpion had spoken. "Was I talking to you, dead-man?"

"Would you like to be outmatched by me again, monk?" Scorpion spat.

"How is your master Quan Chi? Has he let you out on your leash?"

"I have no leash, unfortunately for you!"

"Ughh…" Raiden pinched the bridge of his nose. A very human gesture, I thought. "I'll not tolerate any fighting. Now is not the time."

"What was the deal?" inquired Liu.

Raiden turned to address him. "I've promised Scorpion that if he helps us defeat our enemies, I will persuade the Elder Gods to give him life, and restore his clan."

"When did you make this promise?" I demanded. I had a very suspicious feeling.

"Several nights ago," Raiden admitted. "I wasn't certain if Scorpion would accept, but I met with him this morning and he finally agreed. Though he wished to remain hidden…"

"My hand was forced," Scorpion said, abruptly. He was referring to when he…saved me. "I have no desire to be around any of you."

It was obvious to me now that the Netherrealm essence I had felt earlier was from Scorpion. He must have been following us for a while before deciding to show himself. Or perhaps, following me. _But why?_

The dreary feeling of the Nether was still exuding itself from the spectre, but I was starting to get used to it. I wondered if I was the only one who could sense it, maybe because of my previous experience. None of the others had mentioned it.

Kitana crossed her arms over her chest. "And what of Quan Chi?" she asked.

"I no longer serve him," Scorpion stated simply.

We all looked a bit skeptical.

"Quan Chi still lives, but at present he is not a threat." Raiden clasped his hands behind his back, looking a little more relaxed. "The Elder Gods see potential in Scorpion, and provided me with some information to relay to him. Some…truths about the sorcerer and his many deceptions. After realizing he'd been lied to, Scorpion broke free from Quan Chi's control." He looked at the Shirai Ryu with approval. "His will is strong."

"I will kill Quan Chi with my own hands," Scorpion growled—promised. "Nothing will keep me from this."

"So why help me?" I swayed some as I limped forward, still clutching my arm. "You killed my brother, you tried to kill me, and now you save me? What is your aim, to impress the Elder Gods?" Jade came up to me then and grabbed onto my good arm, helping to keep me steady.

Scorpion blinked at me a couple times, before turning to look at Raiden. "You did not tell him?" he asked the thunder god, somewhat alarmed.

Uh-oh.

"Tell me what?" I asked. There was hesitation in my voice. You know that feeling you get when you're about to be told very bad news. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it. Raiden sighed, and looked at me with pity.

I wanted to punch him in the face. Despite my respect for the thunder god, I hated anyone feeling sorry for me. I was not a weak child!

"Leave us, all of you," Raiden commanded. "There's only a few more hours until daylight, so we'll discuss our next course of action then." He looked at me. "Sub-Zero, you stay."

I nodded slowly as I felt Jade tense next to me. "But my Lord! Sub-Zero is severely wounded. Allow us to dress them properly," she requested.

"Very well."

* * *

><p>Jade and Smoke made a quick job of dressing my wounds. Though 'properly' is not a word I would have used to describe their work. They used cloth torn from their clothes as bandages, which were very dirty, and very little on Jade's part—not that I minded; I admired the view.<p>

I was hoping at the very least my wounds would not become infected, but I was sure I'd have scars. Oh, well. A few more wouldn't make a difference.

The others decided to head back to the small clearing where our campsite had been, and wait for us there. I had watched them go, wistfully wishing that I was among them.

Finally, I moved to face Raiden. And Scorpion. It was more than unnerving to think that he had been following me, and that perhaps Raiden knew about it.

We stood there alone in the forest for a few long moments. I was waiting for one of them to speak.

"Do you agree that the Lin Kuei are corrupt?" Raiden asked me, suddenly.

_Uh._.. "Well," I replied. "Yes, I believe they are." The thought had never entered my mind before, but turning human beings into machines was just insane.

If I really thought about I could pinpoint many times where the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei had done some questionable things. And even if I was one of the top assassins, it was not my place to question him. I had never really wanted to.

Thinking of the Lin Kuei and the palace gave me a small pang of grief. It was the only home I knew, and I'd miss it. Not that I had many friends there, but it wasn't unheard of for small groups to form lasting friendships. It was kind of hard and almost foolish to become attached to anyone, since during any mission one could die. But I did have those I cared about.

"Are you aware of how the Lin Kuei acquire new assassins for their ranks?" questioned the thunder god.

What did that have to do with anything? I was confused, a recently occurring theme with me.

I could feel the piercing heat of Scorpion's gaze on me, and tried to ignore it. I did not understand why he had to be here. My heart was starting to beat faster. I was about to be told something horrible and I knew it.

"Yes," I finally answered. "Sometimes assassins from around the world will join if they can pass a combat test. And sometimes the Lin Kuei will find orphaned children and raise them as their own." Raiden should know this. I was an orphan myself, along with my brother.

Raiden shook his head sadly. "No, Sub-Zero. The Lin Kuei have been keeping many things from you. It is true that other assassins may join at any time… but the children, the children are stolen."

I didn't understand right away.

"What?" I breathed.

"When they need new blood, the Lin Kuei will steal children from their parents. What better way to raise the perfect, loyal killing machine?" remarked Raiden, his voice full of contempt. "You and your brother are no exception."

"No."

"Sub-Zero, when you and your sibling were young, the Lin Kuei came to your home and took you from your parents. Your father fought to keep you, to keep his sons, but they murdered him. They murdered your family to leave no witnesses."

"Stop…" I pleaded. This was much worse than I had been expecting. My heart sank, and I was overwhelmed with what this new knowledge meant.

"They have done this for centuries," Raiden commented. "I thought you knew, but the Elder Gods informed me of your naivety. I am truly sorry."

_Liar, _I thought. He didn't have to tell me anything. He wanted me to hate the Lin Kuei so I would fight fiercely against them, no doubt. But I would have done that anyway.

"Bi-Han did kill Scorpion in battle," Raiden continued. "But Quan Chi tricked Scorpion and manipulated him to believe that the Lin Kuei and your brother had slaughtered the Shirai Ryu. It was Quan Chi himself that exterminated them, and it was him that influenced Scorpion to exact revenge…"

"I have vowed myself to protect you," the spectre said quietly. I could not force myself to look at him now, but I knew he was speaking to me. "I want to atone for—"

I turned away from the both of them. I could feel my face contorting in anger. All my life I had done what the Grandmaster had wanted of me, what the Lin Kuei expected of me, because I was grateful to have a home. Grateful!

Over the years, killing for money was a simple thing to do. And I could cut off most of my emotions to do so. The money didn't hurt either. But a small part of my soul wondered why I had been born into this life.

I had just accepted it. And followed my brother's lead.

Now things were different. So many thoughts and emotions were bursting in my head. I was not an orphan. I was wanted. I had parents that wanted me, and fought to their deaths to keep me.

I was loved.

There was a whole different life that had been taken away from me. Maybe a more peaceful one.

The Grandmaster would pay. They all would. I would spare no one. After all, this is what they expected of me, to be a murderer.

"I'll repay them in kind," I whispered hoarsely.

Turning back around, I faced Scorpion and Raiden once more to make myself clear. "You can be sure the Grandmaster will die. Now, leave me alone."

The thunder god hesitated a moment, before giving me a deep nod and heading in the direction of camp. I think he could tell I wanted to be alone with my painful thoughts. I wanted to suffer as my family had. As all those people I assassinated had.

Scorpion hadn't moved.

"Go!" I shouted. He just stared at me with those white, glowing eyes. They shined brightly in the night, and I hated it.

Hell, I could hate everything right now. Let the blackness take me for all I cared.

I may not like him, but I could understand the spectre a little better now. He'd lost his clan. He wasn't there to protect his family. I was starting to feel sorry… No. Just no. This man killed my brother. The only family I had left.

"Leave me alone," I said again. It was harder this time to keep the emotion out of my voice.

The undead Shirai Ryu still said nothing, but in a sudden flash of flame and hellfire he vanished.

Standing alone in the quiet of the forest, I watched as the fire burning on the beast's body was almost completely dying out. I had forgotten about the creature. Or what was left of it.

I just stood there for a long while, mostly numb.

And somewhere in the forest where I could not see, I knew Scorpion was nearby.


	3. SubZero: Manhandled

**A/N:** Sub-Zero really is popular, isn't he? Anyway, here's yet another pov from him. I think most of the story will be from his pov, with others just sprinkled in. Thank you so much for the faves and reviews. And a thanks to the lurkers out there. I see you!

**Warnings:** Rated M for language, and other adult content. This story will have eventual slash. So fair warning if you do not like that sort of thing.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p>The early morning hours were almost a blur to me.<p>

By the time I decided to walk back to camp and meet up with the others, I was sure Raiden had long since told everyone what had happened. I wasn't too thrilled about that. It was my personal business, but I knew a lot of that information would be important for the others to know. And most likely Johnny would have just pestered Raiden until he talked anyway.

When I entered the small clearing everybody was looking at me and grew very silent. It was awkward, but I said nothing as I took a seat next to Smoke. I didn't try to meet anyone's gaze.

Some of us were standing, and some were sitting, but we were all somewhat circled around the thunder god. Eventually, everyone turned their attention back to him, and continued on their conversation on what to do next.

I tried my best to listen, but all my thoughts were elsewhere. The wounds on my arm and leg itched; a good sign, though bothersome. The morning sun was hot, and made everything appear bright. It was a new day, and although I hadn't slept I still felt anxious to get a move on.

I was also anxious to let go of the past. That would come later, though. I wasn't quite ready to pretend it didn't bother me. Perhaps I would feel better once the Grandmaster was dead, and the Lin Kuei destroyed. A momentary thought came to me of Scorpion. He didn't seem much better off after he had his revenge. Of course, it _was _against the wrong people. Partly.

Perhaps I'd put Quan Chi on my hit list as well…

So what would my next step be? I could stay with this group and see our mission through to the end, and then focus on my own vendetta. But it seemed like it would be such a long time from now before I could have vengeance. And what if there was no end?

A strong nudge from Smoke alerted me to the fact that I had everyone's attention again. Apparently they were waiting for me to say something.

"Um… What?"

Raiden scowled. "I said, 'Where is Scorpion now?'"

That question caught me off guard. _How should I know? _I thought indignantly.

"Right here," said a gruff voice. Scorpion emerged from behind a big tree. Somehow he managed to find the only shadowy part of the forest this morning.

"Good." Raiden gestured for him to come forward. "I was just telling everyone that you have some useful information about our current enemies."

The spectre nodded and turned to face the others. "Shao Kahn may be dead," he began. "But he has many followers. A general of his army is still around, and claims himself to be the new Emperor. He is the one that commands the Tarkatan slime now."

"Well, we expected as much," said Sonya, sighing in exasperation.

"Who is it?" Liu Kang asked.

"General Reiko."

The name was not familiar to me. Only Kitana and Jade exchanged glances.

"Who's that?" asked Johnny.

Scorpion's brow furrowed in frustration. "A general," he growled.

"Ah, okay then. Named Reiko? Got it." Cage smiled and gave a thumbs up. I think his sarcasm was lost on Scorpion.

Kitana shook her head in disdain. "Reiko is a pathetic, cruel man. His aspirations to become Emperor were ludicrous. I will personally enjoy showing him the power of true royalty."

"He's a native of Outworld. That may be one of the reasons the Tarkata would listen to him at all," Jade explained.

"What about the other Outworlders, then?" demanded Smoke. "Does that mean they'll follow his orders, too?"

"No," Scorpion answered, his fists were clenched tightly. "He's a maniac. No better than Shao Kahn himself, albeit weaker. The local villagers wish for a peaceful life."

For a moment the spectre looked as though he was going to say more, then thought better of it.

"And how do you know all this?" inquired Liu.

"You mean despite him being one of the baddies that hung out in that creepy castle all day?" Johnny mumbled under his breath.

Scorpion crossed his arms. "I just know. As I was Quan Chi's second in command I was able to be in the Emperor's presence while they held counsel. I took part in many of their conquests. And I was in Reiko's war room only a few days ago. In fact, they were not aware of my defection since I come and go as I please."

"Huh," Jax looked thoughtful. "That might have been helpful to us. You acting like a double agent. Too bad that won't work now, considering how you helped us attack Reiko's men last night."

"I already disposed of the Tarkata that got away. They were easy to find and did not get far," replied Scorpion.

Well.

"Okay, so no witnesses there. But what about Quan Chi?" the Major asked. "_He _knows you're not on their side anymore."

"The sorcerer is trapped in the Netherrealm, where his powers are weakened." Scorpion seemed pleased.

"How did that happen?" asked Kung Lao.

The spectre looked at him. "The longer he stays in the Netherrealm the more powerless he becomes. The longer _I _stay down there, the stronger I become. We simply stayed there too long. He was trying to make a deal with another sorcerer and I saw an opportunity to leave. I had enough energy to close the portal here before Quan Chi could come after me. He was too feeble to make one himself."

Raiden started a bit. "Another sorcerer? Was it Shang Tsung?"

"No," Scorpion replied. "I'm not sure who it was. It was none of my concern."

"It will be if this other sorcerer helps him to open up a portal," Raiden said darkly.

Scorpion gave a mere shrug of his shoulder.

Jax started to speak excitedly. "So you can be a spy for us then! Y'know maybe bring us any info this Reiko guy tells you. Maybe help us get into his fortress or whatever. This is gonna work out perfectly. Those bad guys won't know what hit 'em."

"First thing's first," declared the thunder god. "We all need to get out of this forest. There's a village a few miles north of here. I know a man there who will be glad to help us. Now, let's go."

Raiden turned and began walking out of the clearing, leaving the rest of us to scramble to stretch and follow after him. It wasn't like we had any belongings to gather, so he wouldn't get too far ahead. But he didn't give us any time to ask questions. I thought that was smart of him, actually. I hoped his friend in the village wouldn't mind nine strangers marching in.

I watched as Smoke pulled his hair back and tied it with some band. His hair was dirty and kept getting in his face. I was about to ridicule him for his choice of hairstyle, but when I was younger I had long hair myself.

Subconsciously I ran a hand through my own shorter, spikier hair.

My friend looked at me and smiled. "Looks like it's going to be another one of those days."

"Are there any other kind?" Johnny muttered as he passed by us.

* * *

><p>I was trailing behind the others. My leg was still causing me pain, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. It just didn't want to cooperate in its present state.<p>

The terrain didn't help either. The ground was uneven, and I had to watch out for roots and other foliage. At least the trees were becoming less dense as we came upon what I assumed to be the edge of the forest.

I looked ahead to see Raiden in the lead, about a hundred yards away, and everyone else in between. Except for Scorpion. He disappeared again, so I could only guess that he was somewhere behind me.

Thinking of the Shirai Ryu made me slightly agitated. I never asked for his protection. I didn't need it, really. Who wants an undead stalker?

Occasionally, Smoke would stop and walk with me a bit, before running off to talk with someone else. I supposed it was a good thing he was making friends with our allies. And maybe I should start to think of them more as my friends, too.

Though none of them bothered to keep me company; busy in their own conversations.

I was starting to wonder what time it was, guessing about almost noon, when I fell into a small ditch in the ground. Actually, it was too small to be considered a ditch, but I didn't see it coming because the ground I had previously been walking on was raised a couple feet higher.

This particular patch of forest floor was covered in thorny vines. That I was now standing knee-deep in. _Perfect! _I thought. _Let's add this to the list of injuries today. Scratches caused by stupid, sharp little—Ow!_

Embarrassed, I checked to see if anyone had noticed. Didn't look like it. Everyone continued ahead, their backs to me, so I hurriedly tried to pull the vines away from me with my hands. I froze a few with my powers to break the plant apart, but new vines quickly grew in their place.

Not…good…

Only when the vines started to slowly tighten around my legs of their own accord, did panic and alarm begin to surface across my face. But I didn't have much time to really think about it, because a pair of well-muscled arms grappled me from behind, crushing me to a broad chest as I was lifted up and out of the vines - scratched along the way - and then unceremoniously tossed to the side.

I stumbled forward a bit as I regained my footing, twisting around sharply to see who it was. But I already knew. Scorpion stepped past me in an even stride as if nothing had happened. He smelled of warm leather and ash, and that would stay with me for a while.

I was mortified.

In the distance, Smoke must have looked back to notice me standing in one place, unmoving. He teleported over to my side in a haze of grey clouds, amusement in his eyes.

"You look like you're having a heart attack," he observed lightly.

"I wish I was!"

"What?"

"Nothing," I sighed, placing my hand on Smoke's shoulder. "Just help me catch up with the others."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Not sure if I'm completely happy with this chapter. It's short, but I wanted to get it out. Please review. Even one is enough to inspire me to continue. =)

_**M-G: **_Your reviews make me smile, unverified or otherwise. I hope you continue to be a loyal reader.

_**Wind Kaizer: **_Thank you for your feedback! I apologize if anyone is too OOC, but it's to be expected. And it will probably get worse as the story goes along. lol

-Gren


	4. Johnny: The Master

**A/N:** Johnny's up! I apologize for the long, long wait… I hope y'all don't mind the change of pov. =) I miss Kuai already…

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p>"Guys, c'mon! You can't wait two seconds?" I wailed.<p>

I watched as my so-called friends and fellow Defenders continued walking on without me. So sue me that I had to take a leak. I mean, it was unnatural that they could walk for hours without having to make a pit stop…

Grumbling, I hurriedly finished my business and jogged back over to Sonya's side. She was having some discussion with Jax about defense strategies and other things that didn't interest me. The three of us had been walking together since we left the forest - and I know these two have a close bond or whatever - but I really, really wanted Jax to leave.

Not that I was jealous or anything. I just wanted to be alone with Sonya.

I wanted to get to know her better. Not only was she hot, but she could also kick some major ass. And she was nothing like those Hollywood bimbos I usually date. I genuinely liked her. And I'm pretty sure she likes me, too.

But what's not to like? Hehe.

"So, what do you guys think of Scorpion?" I wanted to change the subject. And the new guy was a good enough topic.

"I don't trust him," said Sonya.

Jax just shrugged. "The more the merrier, I guess."

"You were a lot more enthusiastic this morning," I told him.

"Yeah, but it's not like I'm gonna become best buds with the guy. He'll just be useful to us. Like a tool."

_You're a tool, _I thought. Okay, maybe I wasn't a fan of Jax. But I'm still not jealous. I'm not.

Sonya sighed. "I just don't know what Raiden's thinking. Scorpion could turn on us on a whim. Especially if some better deal for him comes along."

"I don't know…" I said quietly. The dead guy kind of gave me the creeps, but he wasn't so bad. I mean, he was tricked and all into doing bad stuff. Right?

"And how could he do that to Sub-Zero?" she continued, aggravated.

"Who?" asked Jax.

"Raiden!" Sonya exclaimed. "After everything Sub-Zero's been through, and then to bring his brother's killer into the group? That would be like if he suddenly told me Kano was going to join us. I'd flip."

Jax rolled his shoulders, which caused me to wonder if those robot arms of his were heavy. I could hear all the gears and crap whirring around in them as he walked. It was a little freaky, and I suddenly felt guilty. He sure seemed to like his new arms, and the strength that came with them, but I'd hate to have any part of me ripped away.

"It is kinda complicated," said Jax. "But I think Subs will be alright."

"Yeah. That would suck," I commented. Sub-Zero basically found out his life was a lie a few hours ago. Jeez, I don't know what I would do.

We walked a bit more in silence. I looked ahead of us to see Raiden still in the lead. I sure hoped he knew what he was doing. The thunder god may be the protector of the Earthrealm or whatever, but he sure can make a lot of mistakes.

"Do you think Raiden would get mad if I asked him 'Are we there yet?'" I wondered out loud.

Sonya laughed. "Go for it."

* * *

><p>An hour later and we were still walking. Well, the others were walking—I was dragging myself along. But Raiden promised that the village wasn't too far off now.<p>

I turned my head to look behind me and saw Smoke helping Sub-Zero walk with his arm around his shoulder. Poor guy - Sub-Zero, I mean - it looked like he was having a hard time of it.

After the battle the night before, I thought I had twisted my knee or something, but it felt pretty much fine now. I bet Subs would need some stitches. Yikes.

"Need some help back there?" I asked the two ninjas. Assassins. Whatever.

"No, I got it," replied Smoke. He and Sub-Zero sped it up a bit to join Sonya, Jax, and I.

Jax looked around us. "Where's the yellow one?"

"Scorpion? I don't know. I guess he likes to disappear," said Smoke, he seemed indifferent. I spared a glance at Sub-Zero's face and his lips disappeared into a straight line. Alrighty then.

The five of us talked about this and that, nothing really important; we were all pretty tired. And I was starting to get bored. I just didn't understand why the others had to be so serious and somber all the time! Life is supposed to be exciting and fun.

My stomach growled and everyone had a nice chuckle over it. Good. I didn't mind it being at my expense, I'd take any kind of laughter right now…

Hmm. Either our little group was moving faster or Liu and his group were walking slower. In any case, it looked like we were all in one group now with Liu, Kung Lao, Jade, and Kitana caught up.

Raiden was still marching some feet in front of us. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"I'm kind of excited," blurted Kung Lao.

"For what?" I asked confused.

"Civilization! Doesn't it feel like it's been forever since we've seen other people? Well, people that aren't trying to kill us-"

"Don't hold your breath that these villagers won't want to either," interrupted Liu.

Kung Lao ignored him. "And we'll get real food! And a proper place to rest, hopefully."

Jax smiled. "Yeah. That's something to look forward to."

Oh man… If we were given real beds to sleep on I might even cry.

"We'll need the strength," said Kung Lao, decidedly. "I believe the upcoming battles we're going to face will be tough. Personally, I can't wait to meet this General Reiko." He made some lethal gestures in the air.

"Don't forget about us," Liu said grinning. "I'd like a chance at him, too. See if my skills match up to his. Should be fun."

"Some pacifists you are!" I shouted. They weren't the kind of monks I picture in my head.

The two of them laughed, though. "This is what we've been training for," explained Liu. "We were raised knowing that we'd someday have to defend the Earthrealm. If we believed this whole situation could have been handled peacefully, well, we would have tried that a long time ago."

"And there was nothing peaceful about Shao Kahn," Jax agreed.

"It's honorable to fight in the name of something good," said Kitana.

The princess looked sad to me. She had been kinda down lately. Maybe she'd feel better once we took her back to Edenia. Then she could become Queen. How awesome is that?

But thinking of traveling to the Edenian realm made me think of portals, which made me think of teleporting, which made me think of our very own thunder god over here.

"Say uh, Raiden," I started carefully. "The last time you went to the village, you came and went pretty fast right? And when we were trying to stop Shao Kahn? We moved from place to place quickly, didn't we?"

He stopped and turned around. Everyone else stopped walking too.

"Yes…" He answered, the realization dawning on his face.

I tried really hard to stifle a laugh, but I could feel myself smirking. "So, um, can you just teleport us the rest of the way there?"

The thunder god looked shocked, and I broke down into full on laughter. My friends all groaned. And I thought I heard someone say something like, "-fucking kidding me?" But I wasn't completely sure who it was because I was laughing so hard. Almost hysterically.

I took a few breaths to make myself calm down. The others looked so exhausted, but most of them were grinning, too.

"It's cool, Raiden," I told him. "Old age hits everyone sooner or later…"

"My deepest apologies," he said, somewhat sheepishly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

I wasn't going to rub it in his face, but I sure wanted to. How many times can our fearless leader fuck up? Many times, you say? Oh well. This isn't the worst thing to happen. I went to stand next to him and the others gathered around closer.

Raiden cleared his throat and nodded. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

><p>We all appeared in the middle of the village in a bright blue flash of light.<p>

It always gives me a queasy feeling whenever I teleport somewhere. Kind of feels like an amusement park ride when your stomach drops, but it doesn't last long. And it seems like I've had a lot of practice to get used to it lately. The only sad part is that I don't have that power for my own. I'd use it all the time!

There were a few screams and shouts of fear as I saw men, women and children run to hide in their homes. I looked around and could tell this particular village was a poor one. We were in the middle of a road, with homes and various shops on either side of us.

Looking down toward the end of the road I could see a much larger, fancier house. An inn maybe? Everything here was definitely on the oriental-style side. Come to think of it, looking at the villagers peeking faces from the doorways and windows I'd say Liu Kang and Kung Lao should feel pretty much at home here. Haha, I'm mean.

"This way," Raiden motioned towards the big place down the road. More of the natives started to slowly come out to watch us. They must have recognized Raiden.

"Howdy," I waved and smiled. Didn't get much of a reaction, though. _Pff, Outworlders…_

When we finally reached the gate to the house a couple of villagers ran out and bowed their heads to Raiden. A really fat guy followed after them and he shook hands with the thunder god.

"Master!" Kung Lao and Liu cried out at the same time. They ran to him and the fat man laughed heartily. What the helllll….

"What do you mean, 'Master'? Who is this guy?" I asked.

"This is Bo' Rai Cho!" Liu said excitedly. "He's the one who trained us!"

I never would have guessed.

"Come, my friends!" Bo' Rai Cho said happily. "Come on inside and we'll take care of you." He motioned to the two villagers to help with Sub-Zero.

We all started to walk into the building together and I just had to ask. "Is this your house, uh, Bo' Ram Sho?"

The man laughed again. "Bo' Rai Cho, please. And it is now. It used to belong to the prefect of this province. A very greedy man. He's dead now."

"Oh. I see. So what's the deal with this place?"

"Well, these people are trying to rebuild, as best as they can of course. It seems this village is too insignificant now to be much of a bother to Reiko and Baraka." He said the latter's name with a lot of venom. Heh, I think we'll get along just fine.

"So, you run this place now?" I asked him.

"Oh, yes. I try to be fair to everyone. There are so few of us here. And usually Outworlders like to keep to themselves, but in these desperate times we all must work together."

"Are you from Outworld?"

"Yep," he replied. Man, did this guy never not smile? "Born and raised. But I've trained many humans in the Earthrealm. Like those two fools over there." He pointed at Liu and Kung Lao and they laughed.

"We missed you, Master," said Kung Lao. "Have we got stories share with you."

"Later, later," Bo' Rai Cho laughed. "First you all must get cleaned up, we can mend your clothes and armor…" he looked around at us. Not too many wearing armor. "Well, your clothes. And then we'll have a feast in your honor. And do not worry about the sleeping arrangements. There are more than enough rooms for each of you."

* * *

><p>I sighed as I looked out one of the many windows. Turns out there were four floors to this house, and man, I love a good view.<p>

It'd been many days since I felt this relaxed. The bath was amazing. I didn't realize how dirty and smelly we all were until Bo' Rai Cho pointed it out. And the feast! Real food! That had been fun. I even got to sit next to Sonya.

We were given fresh clothes to change into. They were like greyish-blue tunics with a dark blue trim, with matching pants. Not my style, but hey they were clean and soft.

Sonya came into the room and stood next to me to look out the window. It was a little day room, I'm assuming, I'm not sure, there were so many rooms in this place. Jax and Smoke were playing some game at a table nearby. I resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably never be alone with this woman.

"Nice pajamas," I winked at her.

She smacked my arm playfully then pulled at her top a bit self-consciously. "Takes a bit getting used to."

"Yeah."

"Looks like the suns going to set soon."

We both looked out the window again and I happened to see Sub-Zero limping around the grounds outside with Jade. I nodded at Sonya to take a look. She smiled.

Jade was smokin' hot. I didn't understand why she liked the blue ninja so much. He was a bit uptight.

"Hey, what does a guy like him have that I don't?" I asked Sonya.

"Well…he does have pretty blue eyes." She batted her eyelashes at me and we shared a laugh. It was good to see her happy, even a little. I loved her laugh.

I stood up straighter. "I have blue eyes, y'know."

"Yeah, but his are prettier." She looked at me and gave a little shrug. "He's not really my type, though…"

Uh-oh. Were we having a moment? Yes!

But before I could say anything witty she spoke again.

"I think I'm going to turn in early," she said. "I couldn't really get good sleep out in the woods." Dammit.

"Well, good night..." I watched her go like an idiot.

Hesitating, I finally decided I'd be sneaky and follow her to see what room she was staying in. I left the day room or whatever and walked swiftly through the hallway.

A burst of hot flame erupted right in front of me and I almost died.

"Gahh!" I yelled. Scorpion was now standing in front of me.

I almost felt bad that I'd forgotten about him. Almost.

"What the hell, dude! I mean seriously! What are you doing?" I couldn't think of a good reason for him to want to scare me.

"The people of this village still know me as a follower of Shao Kahn. I could not let them see me," he explained. He looked around like he expected to see more than just us two in this hallway. "Where is Sub-Zero?" he demanded.

"I don't know, dude," I was still clutching my heart. "Smoke's in that room back there. Ask him."

I watched as Scorpion stomped heavily into the room I directed him. That guy had some serious problems.

_I wonder where's he's gonna sleep. Do dead guys sleep? What was I doing? Oh right! Stalking Sonya!_

Still in the hallway, I decided to forget it. I couldn't catch up to her now. It sucked. And was all Scorpion's fault. Time for revenge.

Kung Lao came walking down the hallway towards me and I stopped him. "Kung Lao, buddy! Do you know where Liu is?"

"I'm not sure. Around here somewhere."

"Ehh, forget about Liu. Wanna help me with something?"

He looked at me warily. "With what?"

"Just a little prank… Do you know where Sub-Zero's room is?"

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><p><strong>AN: **Thank you everyone for you reviews! They're all so kind and funny. Just the motivation I need! I hope I didn't lose anyone because of taking too long to update. Next chapter will be with Kuai again! *throws love at everyone*


	5. SubZero: Clarity

**A/N:** I'm going to be cheesy again and thank all my reviewers and readers! This story has reached well over 1000 hits—and not all of them by me lol. So thank you for favoriting and reading and thank you to the lurkers! **And thank you for all the encouraging reviews!** I love them all. And a special thank you to reviewer Aka, for giving me the compliment of inspiration. What more does an author need for their ego than that? Am I getting a big head? Probably! I'm kidding. I'm still learning and growing. If I have anything to really complain about it's that FF filters out my double exclamation points. I hope you all enjoy this chapter... So much drama.

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

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><p>The sunset was fading rather quickly to me. I could already begin to make out a few stars.<p>

I had been leaning against the balcony of my room, only wanting to enjoy the night breeze, and I breathed the cool air into my very being. Now, I found myself studying the sky, wondering if I had ever taken the time to even look at it before. I felt as though I had lost so much time. Missed out on so much of life. It was just something I'd have to learn to accept.

I was so tired…

My eyes went to my bandaged arm. The cleric here had done a good job of cleaning my wounds, and I was better for it. Afterward, Jade had somehow talked me into exploring the perimeter of this mansion, and I can't say now what our conversations consisted of. I had so much on my mind it was difficult to give her the attention she deserved.

Eventually I found myself alone, and wandered back here to my own quarters. I noticed the others finding things to do, or relaxing. As if we were going to stay in this place for a long while. As if we weren't soon to be engaged in a life-threatening battle. Any peace to be found here would be fleeting and pointless…

The door to my room burst open with a loud bang, and I turned abruptly to see a masked figure hurry inside and slam the door closed again. I quickly crossed the threshold, fists clenched, ready to attack my intruder- But- wasn't that…?

"Is that my uniform!" I exclaimed.

"Sub-Zero! You're here! Shit…"

"Johnny Cage? What do you think you're doing?" By the Elder Gods… The actor was actually wearing my Lin Kuei uniform—cowl and all. I was more confused than angry, but he was certainly lucky that I recognized him before I did anything harmful. Though now I would like to…

"Hehe, I thought you'd still be out or something…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"That's not an explanation," I growled.

Johnny raised his hands in a retreating gesture. "H-Hey, guess what, your clothes are ready!"

"So I see. But why are you wearing them?"

"Funny story…"

There were angry shouts coming from the hallway outside my door, and they were becoming steadily closer.

Johnny jumped, startled, and swiftly made his way over to my balcony. "Well, I gotta go!" he said. "I'll have someone send your clothes up later! Okay? Okay!" He made a move to jump over the railing.

"Johnny, wait!" I tried to reach for him but he leaped over the side and I could only look on as he fell and landed with a hard thud.

The idiot was fortunate that my room was only on the second floor.

I heard a muffled, "Ow…" and watched him crawl away into the shadows.

There wasn't much time for me to think about what had just happened, because in the next moment my door was kicked open by a very furious Scorpion. I sighed as I turned to face him, having already known it'd be him that would enter. Being able to sense the Netherrealm really was irritating.

I saw that the spectre's swords were drawn as he lowered the leg he'd used to kick my door with.

"Where is he?" Scorpion was shaking with anger. His whole presence filled up the room and I felt a migraine begin to swell in my head.

"Who?" I asked, annoyed.

"The loud mouth whose blood will soon be spilled!"

I rubbed at my temples with my hands. "He's gone," I said. There wasn't much point in lying. "What did he do, exactly?"

Scorpion's eyes seemed to glow a little brighter as he spoke. "He had me running all over this fucking place! He led me to believe that you were running from me... I caught him a few times but he kept getting away. And once when I pursued after him, that pathetic monk Kung Lao tripped me. They tried to make a fool of me. But I disposed of the monk easily and-"

I jerked my head towards him, alarmed. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No. I only rendered him unconscious." It almost sounded like he was pouting.

"Well, as long as he's not dead… You do know you cannot harm Johnny Cage. Even if he deserves it." I walked over to the small sofa in the center of room and sat down, massaging my hand over my eyes.

"I didn't realize it wasn't you at first," Scorpion admitted. "I thought you were trying to mock me. Preventing me from my duty. I will exact my revenge upon this Cage."

I snorted. His _duty_. The spectre was just an unwelcome nuisance.

"Listen, we must speak about that." I looked at him briefly to make sure he was paying attention. "I don't need your protection. Focus your energies elsewhere."

"It's not up to you," he spat, stepping closer. I had to look up at him now.

"Excuse me? Nobody asked you to make your 'vow'. Your presence is not wanted!"

"I must protect you to atone for what I have done. Whether you are willing to accept my help or not is of no matter."

I stood up again to face him. "You are mistaken, Scorpion. Your atonement is meaningless if I do not acknowledge it."

"This isn't about you," he ground out. "This is about honor!"

I was taken aback. That didn't make any sense to me. In order to regain some composure I turned away from the spectre and walked over to the balcony doorway. Leaning against the doorframe I crossed my arms and regarded this situation thoughtfully. How could I make him understand?

"I fail to see the difference," I said carefully.

"Of course. The Lin Kuei have no honor," he remarked coldly.

Hmph. Letting that one go for now.

"You're not even doing a good job. So why bother?" I held up my bandaged arm for emphasis.

Scorpion blinked and joined me near the balcony. He was staring out into the darkening sky. "I vowed to protect you so that you would not be killed. That is the ultimate goal. If you are harmed along the way, then so be it."

I glared at him even though he wasn't looking at me. There was a long silence between us, so when he spoke next it startled me.

"You could have easily defeated that monster in the woods," he uttered. Scorpion was still staring out, and missed my shocked expression. "And those Tarkatan thugs should have been nothing to you."

"What do you mean?"

"You gave up. I watched you."

My hackles rose instantly. "Fuck you, Scorpion. If I had any chance to defend myself, I would have. It's not exactly easy to defeat a beast ten times bigger than you while you're bleeding profusely."

He turned to regard me. "You're stronger than your friends. You're more powerful than even your brother was. You held back because you were afraid."

It was like a slap to the face. I fought very hard in the battle the night before. Perhaps I was unlucky or just overwhelmed, but my injuries were not because of my giving up. And I did not believe that I was stronger than my brother, though Raiden had mentioned it to me as well.

"Afraid of what?" I sneered, daring him to continue.

"You're afraid you'll become like him—your brother," said Scorpion. "And yet, you already are."

"I'm nothing like my brother!" I protested.

Thinking of Bi-Han in this way made my chest constrict with grief. All my life I had looked up to him. He was a legend amongst most Lin Kuei. But now I wanted to distance any part of him from myself. My brother was now a dark shadow of the man he used to be.

I wondered for a moment if Scorpion knew that my brother had become a wraith, not unlike himself. But if the Shirai Ryu did not mention it then I would not bring it up.

"You are becoming like him," Scorpion replied. "He had no regard for human life. And your apathy reflects that."

"Apathy?"

"Yes. You're not allowing yourself to feel completely. To use the despair as fuel for your rage. Not to pretend it isn't there, and yet sulk in it."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Trust me, I feel nothing but rage right now."

"Good. Perhaps now you'll get out of this depression and hone your abilities to their full potential."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I waved a hand at him dismissively. "My potential is at the highest it will ever reach. And my brother _did _respect and care about life." Even as I said those last words aloud I knew it was a lie. I may not have ever wanted to admit it to myself, but there was always an ever-creeping darkness in my brother's heart. Though I never considered him evil, he enjoyed killing in a way I never would.

But was that really his fault?

I realized too late of Scorpion's building fury. He was absolutely seething.

"I _begged _for my life!" he shouted, his voice was full of anguish and hatred. "Begged! Like a coward! Your precious brother laughed and mocked my pleas for mercy!" The spectre was advancing on me slowly and I backed away equally as slow into the room.

I had a sudden vision of a couple begging some Lin Kuei foot soldiers to spare their lives and not take their young sons from them.

"Scorpion," I spoke softly. "I understand. What my brother did was wrong, and cruel. But you cannot tell me that if you had gotten the upper hand during your fight that you would have not done the same to him."

His posture stiffened a bit, but at least he stopped coming towards me like he was preparing for a fight. I did not think I could handle that right now.

"You're wrong," he told me. "I would not have killed him, especially if I'd known he had a family."

I was assuming he meant me. The day I was told of my brother's murder was a tough one. It was one of the first few times in my life that I had felt truly alone.

"Not much of a family," I joked. It was a mistake to try and pick a fight with Scorpion. There was no point in arguing with a dead man, and one that had lost so much. I considered that he'd lost much more than I had, because he got to spend that time with his loved ones in a way I could only dream of.

Why had the fates decided that our pain should be so intertwined?

"I thought you were just like him at first," Scorpion said suddenly. "At the tournament when you challenged me. I thought you were a clone of your brother that did not deserve to live. But you are different. You have more humanity than most Lin Kuei I've met."

_I suppose I'll take that as a compliment, _I thought.

"Have you met many Lin Kuei?" I asked.

"A few. Your brother and I were rivals for a long time."

Hearing that made me sad. "I…didn't know he had killed you first. Bi-Han never mentioned you."

Scorpion merely shrugged. I guess that meant nothing now.

I sighed as I wondered just how much Bi-Han had kept from me. How many dark secrets did he lock away? My headache throbbed behind my eyes.

It was important to me now to clear any bad blood.

I hesitated nervously before I spoke. "I…I'm sorry. About your family."

Another irritating thing about the spectre was that if his expression wasn't twisted with anger, it was unreadable. Only being able to see his eyes didn't help. He stared at me - unblinking - for a minute or two.

"As I am sorry," he finally said. "About yours."

An awkward silence passed between us, but it was one of understanding.

I smiled good-naturedly. "I suppose I've avenged my brother anyway. When I defeated you during Mortal Kombat."

Scorpion 'Hmph'd' and looked away.

"And as for this matter with Johnny Cage," I continued. "I think you better let me handle it."

Scorpion tilted his head toward me, listening.

"It was _my _room that he snuck into, and _my _clothes that he stole." And _his _fault for this bizarre and frustrating evening.

"Fine," Scorpion relented. "Throw in a few punches in my honor."

"I'll handle Kung Lao, too," I said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he helped Johnny a lot."

"Good."

"So…are you going to leave now?"

"No."

"Damn it!"

"I made a vow!"

"You can't stay here!"

"Why not?"

I threw up my hands in exasperation. "Do you even sleep?"

"No…"

"Then what?" I asked. "You were just going to stand here all night and be creepy?"

"Creepy?"

"I don't need looking after like a child. And you said you'd only protect me from certain death. I doubt I'm in threat of that here." A horrible thought came to my mind. "Are you planning on following me around for the rest of my life?"

Scorpion became flustered. I assumed he hadn't thought this all the way through.

* * *

><p>Finally alone, I let out a deep sigh of exhaustion. It had taken me another fifteen minutes, but I convinced Scorpion it'd be better for my mental well-being if he left.<p>

Though he insisted on coming back in the morning…

Who knows what he'd do during the night. I didn't really care how he spent his time.

I made my way over to the cot the Outworlders here called a bed, and threw myself onto it. Hmm, perhaps I was a bit spoiled from living in the Lin Kuei temple. We had many luxuries most others did not.

I was lucky to have a bed here to my own at all.

That night I didn't dream, but there was a new clarity and lightness in my soul.


	6. SubZero: Conflicted

**A/N: **I feel so bad for being late! Sorry! Hopefully this chapter is enjoyable. I keep re-writing it, as I keep finding mistakes. This draft should be error free, haha. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers!

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

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><p>I awoke well-rested in the morning. Though my wounded leg and arm were a bit stiff.<p>

After stretching for a few minutes I attempted different katas in the Shotokan style, but slowly so as not to tear any stitching. There wasn't much I was able to do. I sighed.

The last thing I wanted to do was become weak while I waited to heal. It's important as a warrior to keep your body in shape. _Only one day's rest won't hurt, _I told myself.

But I wasn't sure how long we'd be able to stay here. I was hoping it wouldn't be too long. The sooner we defeated Reiko or found a portal to Edenia the better.

I walked into the little sitting area from my bedroom and looked around.

Hmm. Still no Scorpion.

I half expected him to be standing over me, watching me sleep. I shuddered at the thought, but I smiled in spite of everything because that would have been amusing.

There was a quiet knock on my door and I opened it to find a young Outworld girl holding my folded uniform out in front of her. She apologized for it being sent to the wrong Earthrealm man, and I dismissed her without complaint. It would have been hard for me to explain to her that Johnny had taken it—or why he did. I hardly understood that myself.

I washed up and changed into my uniform quickly, leaving the cowl off for now. Even if I had a newfound hate for the Lin Kuei and what they represent, the uniform was comforting and I felt more like myself wearing it.

My stomach growled loudly, so I left my room and headed downstairs in search of some food.

* * *

><p>"Wait! Let's just talk about this for one minu-AUGH!" Johnny Cage ducked as I threw another sphere of ice at his head.<p>

The moment I had entered the dining area I spotted Johnny sitting at the table. He immediately jumped from his chair and tried to put the table between us. I easily leapt over it and he ran into the kitchen where we were now at a stand-off.

"I really didn't do anything!" Johnny protested. He snatched a plate from a counter and held it in front of him like a shield.

"Is that so?" I growled, crouched in a fighting stance. "Because of you I had to deal with Scorpion! In my room!"

"It was a joke!"

"I'm not laughing!"

Johnny threw the plate at me and I jumped to the side as it shattered by my feet. He tried to run to the other side of the kitchen but I quickly blocked his path and I made a grab for his throat. The actor spun out of my grasp and just as I was about to charge at him, Sonya came into the room and got between us.

"What the hell are you two doing?" she demanded. Sonya had her back to Johnny and placed a hand on my chest. "You're scaring the poor cooks!"

I panted as I looked to a corner of the kitchen where a handful of the Outworlders stood huddled together in fear. Ah.

"Apologies," I nodded at them.

Smoke and Liu Kang came in then, looking thoroughly confused.

"Uh, is everything all right in here?" asked Liu, he was staring at me as though I was the sole cause. I had the thought that even if we were all becoming closer in our small group, there was still distrust and suspicion that might always be in our minds. Or perhaps because of my affiliation with the Lin Kuei, Liu Kang would always be wary of me.

I was relieved when Smoke walked up to me—concern in his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked me. "Why were you fighting?"

"_He _started it!" Johnny pointed an accusing finger.

"I did not," I replied indignantly. "I was merely exacting justice for the aggravation he caused me last night."

Sonya raised an eyebrow and looked between Johnny and I. "Really guys? How old are we?"

Johnny laughed tiredly. "Okay, okay. I might've attempted a small prank that didn't go quite as expected…"

"Hey, we're supposed to be examples here. Y'know professional and serious and this is no time for messing around, Johnny!" Sonya scolded. She suddenly looked furious and glared at the both of us before leaving the kitchen.

"We have worlds to save, people!" she shouted from the other room.

I could see her point. But that didn't stop me from wanting to cause the actor some retribution in pain. I was really more angry about him stealing my clothes than anything else.

"Jeez, who pissed in her coffee this morning?" Johnny winced a bit and I noticed his face for the first time. There were bruises around his eye and his lip was cut.

"I didn't do that to you," I said gesturing to his face, and also before Liu could get any ideas.

"Nope," Johnny replied casually. "Scorpion did. He grabbed me earlier and threw me around a bit. Scary guy."

Smoke shook his head. "I'm so confused…"

"Ehh, don't worry about it, bud." Johnny told him, then turned to me. "So…I've already been punished enough, don't you think?"

His hopeful eyes only made me want to hurt him more. But I could always get him back later.

With something sharp.

While he's asleep.

"Fine," I relented with an irritated sigh. "Stay away from me today."

"Can do!" Johnny saluted. He and Liu began to leave the kitchen, and I made a small move to stop them but quickly halted myself. I had wanted to ask Johnny where Scorpion was now. But I didn't want anyone to think I cared about what the spectre did in his free time.

Even if he did say he'd be back to my room by morning.

I made a face, disgusted with myself. It was only curiosity nagging at me now. Still, I felt embarrassed. I let Liu and Johnny Cage leave without word.

That left Smoke and I alone, save for the cooks who were now trying to sneak quietly out of the room. I ignored them.

"Scorpion left with Raiden this morning," Smoke said suddenly. He was studying my face.

"Oh?" I replied.

"Mmhmm."

"So what."

Smoke's mouth turned up into a smirk. "Don't you want to know where they went?"

"Not really," I lied. Giving him a dirty look I began to leave, having long since lost my appetite.

My friend followed suit and trailed after me all the way outside into a small garden near the back of the residence. I sat down and got into a meditative pose, fully prepared to pretend he wasn't there.

Smoke sat beside me and mimicked my posture.

"Anyway," he started. "Lord Raiden and the dead man went to go check out the perimeter of Reiko's fortress to find any weaknesses. I suspect we'll be engaged in battle soon enough."

I pondered this quietly. It didn't look like I'd be of much use to the group in my current condition. But I'd try my best. Just the thought alone of fighting hordes of Tarkata made my adrenaline run. I wouldn't be so careless this time.

"I'm going to go train some more," Smoke announced. "Want to spar with me?"

"No thanks," I answered. Honestly, I wanted to save my strength.

"That's probably a good idea…" he said. I glanced at my friend, who had a very faraway look to his eyes. His gaze wasn't concentrated on anything, but he looked sad.

"What's on your mind?" I ventured.

Smoke sighed. "Only something Raiden told me. It's not a big deal, really."

He seemed so serious. I tried to lighten the mood by saying, "Lord Raiden really knows how to give good news, doesn't he?"

To my surprise, Smoke only smiled sadly in return, before standing up to leave.

"I'll see you later," he said.

I nodded once and watched him walk away.

"Smoke?" I tried.

Nothing.

This concerned me greatly. I hoped my friend wasn't keeping secrets from me, but he was entitled to keep some things to himself. You'd think he could tell _me _of all people, though.

Oh well.

* * *

><p>Hours later I finally got up and stretched, making my way back toward the house.<p>

My head was clearer and I no longer felt like maiming Johnny.

I came upon Bo' Rai Cho and Kitana laughing together near the doorway, and I planned on passing them quietly so as not to disturb their conversation, but Bo' Rai Cho grabbed me nearer to them as soon as he saw me.

"Ah, young Lin Kuei!" the master exclaimed. "How are you liking the grounds? Isn't my staff hospitable? It's quite uncommon for Outworlders, you know."

"Y-Yes. You've all been very generous…" I managed. His personality was overwhelming. Not to mention his stench. He reeked of alcohol. How could this being possibly have trained anyone? What skill did he possess?

"The princess and I had much to talk about," he continued. "Since we both have lived in Outworld for so long. It's amazing how much things change all the time."

"Indeed," I muttered.

Kitana smiled, stifling a laugh. I wondered if she'd been drinking, too.

When I said no more, Bo' Rai Cho seemed to lose interest. Good.

"Well, my friends, I must go check on the rest of our…friends. So, please excuse me. Also, that Major Briggs told me about a very intriguing drinking game that I now feel the need to participate in. Sleep well, if I do not see you again tonight!" And with that, the drunkard walked easily inside, without even a stumble. I had no doubt of who would win that game.

"He hasn't changed," Kitana said with affection.

I turned to look at her. It must have made her happy to talk of old times with that man. Still hard to believe this woman was over 10,000 years old. Perhaps Bo' Rai Cho was older?

"He was bidding us a good night," I grumbled. "And it's barely after noon."

"And I'm sure he'll go to bed long after you have," she said with a laugh.

An awkward silence passed between because I didn't have much to say. She went to sit down on a stone bench nearby as I made a move to enter the house, but I stopped a moment to watch her.

She sat solemnly by herself and I felt compelled to reach out. Normally I would not have, but I wanted to prove Scorpion wrong from our conversation last night. I did care about people. Some of them, anyway.

"Are you all right?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"Yes. It's just…"

"You're worried about Edenia?"

She lowered her head. "I'm concerned that I will not be a worthy queen. That my people will not accept me; for all the pain I have caused."

"It wasn't your fault," I assured her. "You believed Shao Kahn was your father. And there was no one who defied him that did not meet a gruesome end."

"Thank you, Sub-Zero."

"You'll make a great queen. Don't think of it anymore until we actually find a way to Edenia…"

Kitana stood up suddenly and faced me. "I want to help you. To improve your skills."

Um. "What?" I asked, confused.

"I've seen what you do with your kori-powers. You could do so much more."

I only stared at her. "Kitana, I've trained all my life. I think I know what I am capable of."

The princess put her hands on her hips. "And I have seen what the Cryomancers of Outworld were capable of so many centuries ago! Their powers seemed almost limitless…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait," I stood up as well. "What are you talking about? What is a Cyromancer?"

"A _Cryo_mancer is what I believe you are descended from," she smiled brightly.

What the hell.

"Um…I'm afraid I do not understand."

"Cryomancers were another race of beings that inhabited Outworld long ago. They had control over the element of ice just as you do."

"But, Kitana, I was born in Earthrealm…"

She smiled at me again. "It's not so unsual for beings from other realms to visit each other. Especially in years before. Even Bo' Rai Cho has been known to travel them. It's true your bloodline must be mostly human, but you have a power that is undeniably rooted from the Cryomancers."

I cleared a lump in my throat and tried to process this. There would never be a night for me where I didn't learn something new about myself. But, it did make sense. There could be no denying that these beings were my ancestors.

"Okay," I finally answered. "I believe you. What can you tell me of their mastery?"

* * *

><p>Later that evening I was in high spirits.<p>

I had spent the rest of the day training with Kitana – albeit lightly so as not to injure myself further – and with her guidance, discovered I could manipulate ice in more creative and deadly ways. Though it took a lot out of me energy-wise, it was very exciting and I was happy that I could become a greater warrior.

The other Defenders – as Johnny likes to call us – and I had an enjoyable dinner together. Just as we were finished and about to part for our respective rooms, Raiden and Scorpion entered the large house.

They didn't look too worse for wear so I assumed they hadn't had any trouble.

"I'm glad you're all here," said Raiden. "I have some very interesting news to share."

We all gathered around him and waited expectantly. I spared a glance at Scorpion, who was staring at me, and quickly turned my attention back to Raiden.

I was genuinely pleased to see them both come back alive. Regarding the spectre, I use the term 'alive' loosely.

Raiden spoke again. "Thanks to Scorpion's help, we have found some ruins not too far from General Reiko's castle, where it appears he has found a way to open a portal. Through which means we were not certain at first, but Scorpion infiltrated the castle and managed to learn from various soldiers inside that Reiko is in possession of an old relic. A crystal, that with some sorcery is capable of opening a portal from here to Edenia. Now, he hasn't done so yet, and for that we are lucky. But it seems that he wishes to enter Edenia soon."

"So what's the plan?" asked Kung Lao eagerly. His face was bruised up a bit, but no one made any comment about it. I smiled, knowing the reason why.

"Well," Raiden replied. "Seeing as these ruins appear to be the only place where a portal can be opened with the crystal—I see no need to enter or assault the castle."

"But what 'bout this crystal?" Jax slurred. Seemed like he lost whatever game he played with our host. "How we s'posed to get it?"

"And how the hell do we use it?" Johnny added.

Raiden didn't seem too concerned with all this. "Either we send a few of you inside to search for the crystal, or create such a commotion near the ruins to draw Reiko outside to us. Most likely he has the crystal on his person. We can make him tell us how to use it and open the portal."

"You sound so sure," remarked Smoke. "What about the Tarkatan forces?"

"Oh, they'll come out and attack us, that is certain. But I have every faith in all of you that they'll be swiftly taken care of." Raiden smiled. Why couldn't I share in his optimistic view...

Liu Kang turned to address all of us. "I guess that's it then. We'll just fly by the seat of our pants. As usual."

"Sounds good," agreed Johnny drily.

Raiden clasped his hands together in finality. "All right, since that's settled, everyone get some rest. We'll leave at dawn."

* * *

><p>I couldn't sleep right away. So I stood again on my balcony, staring out into the darkness of the night.<p>

There was that same pulsating energy that could only be described as bad. And yet I was becoming used to it.

I sighed as I spoke out to the darkness in general. "If you're going to stalk me, at least keep me company." As I turned and walked back into the room, I heard an answering thud on the balcony.

Scorpion followed me inside and I left the doors open to let in the fresh air.

"I was just about to have some tea," I stated. "I suppose you can't have any."

The spectre said nothing but sat opposite me on the floor, the small table between us. I poured myself some tea and sipped at it slowly. The contrast of the cool night air and the warmth from the drink relaxed me.

"I'm not stalking you," said Scorpion.

"If you say so."

He leaned forward a bit in a threatening manner. "I thought we had this conversation already."

"I'm not arguing with you," I replied innocently enough.

It was really difficult to keep my own temper in check, but I truly had no intention of fighting. I was just trying to be friendly. If I could get along with the others, why not Scorpion?

This didn't seem to be the best idea I've had, though. As I sipped my tea, all the other man could do was watch me. And I was becoming self-conscious under his stare.

"Maybe you should say something," I told him.

"Why? To entertain you?" he said bitterly. Perhaps he was always in a bad mood.

"Yes," I said simply.

Okay. Maybe I did enjoy pushing his buttons a bit.

Scorpion raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

I couldn't think of much to say conversationally. Every subject might rub him the wrong way. I tried anyway.

"So, tell me about your family. If that is not too sore a topic." I met his eyes without fear.

He visibly bristled, but didn't sound too angry. "What is there to talk about that you don't already know?"

"Like, I suppose, their names?"

Scorpion blinked a few times, and I could see a crease between his brows as he thought about it. Hmm.

I set down my cup. "Don't you remember?"

"I remember my family," he snapped. "But…it's somewhat foggy… Their names…"

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to keep the pity out of my voice. I meant it though.

"It must be the Netherrealm," Scorpion brooded. "It makes you forget. Makes you a slave."

"Do you remember your name?" I asked, trying to keep him from shutting down completely.

It took him a few moments to reply. "Yes."

"Well?" I prodded.

"Why should I tell you my name? You tell me your real name."

I snorted. "That's too personal."

"As is mine," he shot back.

Sure. He probably didn't remember his name. I wouldn't push it any further.

"I don't remember my family, either," I said as I poured myself more tea. It was getting cold but I drank it anyway. "Or I guess I should say, that I never knew them to begin with."

"You could ask Raiden about them," the spectre pointed out.

I didn't think about that. Some anxiety rose in me at the thought.

"Maybe someday I will." I'm definitely not ready to know those things now.

Scorpion shifted uncomfortably and it was such a human movement from him that I had to smile.

"You should make more friends here," I advised him. "The others are not so bad to get to know." It was a realization I had slowly been making myself. Which reminded me now, that I had not seen Jade all day except for at dinner. I hoped she wasn't avoiding me…

"I don't see the point," he said. "I don't like them. They don't like me. And most of them will more than likely be dead after tomorrow."

Ouch. "That's a cynical thing to say," I frowned at him.

"It's true."

"No it's not. How do you know they don't like you?"

"They _don't _like me," he repeated.

The thought, _I like you, _popped into my head. But I wasn't about to say it out loud. In fact, it shocked me. There wasn't much of him to like, but I didn't dislike him either.

I grinned into my cup as I took another sip and gently set it down.

"Well, I find you tolerable company. Much improved from our first meeting," I teased.

Scorpion blinked. "You wouldn't dare call me your friend."

"No," I admitted. "Not yet, anyway."

That seemed to surprise him. And we sat in amiable silence for a long while.

I moved to stand when I decided I'd neglected my limbs from movement long enough. Scorpion stood up, too. Probably didn't trust me to have the higher ground.

"I need sleep now," I announced.

He made no motion to do anything.

I pointed at the open balcony doors. "You. Out."

Scorpion's shoulders slumped comically and I tried _very _hard not to laugh.

As he stomped toward the open doors I called out to him. "Where do you go at night, by the way?"

He stopped and turned his head to me. "The roof."

"The roof!" I exclaimed. "You sit there all night?"

"Yes. I don't sleep."

"But you just sit there?"

"There's not much else to do. I have no problem with that; such is my training. Try doing a handstand for six days in the blistering heat of summer."

"Hmph, I'm familiar with that kind of training, thank you very much."

Scorpion turned away again, continuing his exit.

"Well," I hesitated. I almost had half a mind to let him stay. I'm becoming much too soft. "Good night," I finished lamely.

He nodded and disappeared into the blackness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Interesting. Will they get that portal open? Who knows! Please review. I enjoy all the feedback. =)


	7. SubZero: Frenzy

**A/N:** Long chapter is long. And mostly plot driven. Boring I know but I hope it makes up for my long absence. I am so sorry lol. And I would like to give a big thanks to my reviewers **Xelly-chan**, **M-G**, **MailxJeevasxFTW**, **YoshisSupport**, **agd888**, **the person who misses me **(lol), **kitty**, **xVentressx**, **Chikku-Chikku**, **jjshawn**, and any reader and lurker out there. I love all your reviews and comments.

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p>"If we live through this, I'm taking all of you to Disneyland."<p>

"Shut up, Johnny."

"Shh!"

We were all lying on our stomachs, on a sloping hill, speaking in hushed tones as we stared at the castle from a distance. It was less than a mile away from us now, and we were waiting for Scorpion to return.

He volunteered to enter the fortress first, before we did anything else. In a perfect world, I imagined him being able to get the crystal from Reiko without incident.

But the world is not perfect. Least of all this one.

From here I could see the camps of Tarkatan soldiers, scattered around the front of the castle. They had small fires going trying to keep warm, the smoke pluming out into the sky.

It was almost a peaceful morning. And I liked the quiet…

We faced the East side of the castle, because about fifty feet away from its stone wall was the old ruins of which Raiden believed Reiko planned to open a portal. Who knew what the ruins used to be when they were once whole—that was hardly important now. But as a place selected to be a magical altar or whatever, it looked pretty unremarkable.

Smoke moved beside me. "So what now?"

"We wait," answered Raiden. "Reiko must be inside, so we need to draw him out and get that crystal from him. Hopefully the spectre will come back to us with some insight."

"Draw him out? You make it sound as though we can't kill him," said Kung Lao.

"No," the thunder god said quickly. "Don't kill him until we find out how to activate the portal. General Reiko may be the only one that knows."

"Oh, we'll have to harm him a little," Sonya said. I was not facing her but I could almost hear her grinning, and the unmistakable sound of cracking knuckles.

I continued to look out and examine the ruins. I had a bad feeling…

* * *

><p>A rush of warm air and fire signaled Scorpion's return as he appeared behind us.<p>

I turned and stood to face him - along with the others - and immediately noticed his torn and bloodied clothes.

"What the hell happened?" Johnny exclaimed.

Raiden's eyes widened in concern, but not for the spectre. "You were found out."

"Yes," Scorpion replied. "Reiko supposed for some time that I was a traitor… He told me it was extremely suspicious that my master Quan Chi had not been in his council for so long a time. It was then that he had his soldiers attack me…but not before I caught a glimpse of the crystal."

"So it is in his possession?" asked Raiden.

Scorpion nodded. "On a chain around his neck. He had kept it hidden under his shirt."

"Very well," said the thunder god, his face solemn and determined. "General Reiko must know we are here, or at the very least that we are after his crystal. I think it is time to show him the strength of my warriors."

"Let's not disappoint him," smirked Kung Lao.

I knew it. I knew we wouldn't be lucky enough to get the crystal and be in Edenia before noon. And I was only slightly worried that I wouldn't be of much help because of my injuries. But I'd learned some new techniques, and I was almost eager to fight.

As the others looked out across the field and talked battle plans, I quietly made my way over to Scorpion, who stood alone as always.

"Are you badly hurt?" I asked him. There were splotches of blood all over the front of his uniform.

"No." He answered with a rough voice, and folded his arms across his chest.

I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Not all of the blood is mine," he added.

"If you're sure…" I said, uncertain.

"I heal quickly," he explained. "Do not concern yourself with the undead."

That took me aback. But I guess he was in no real danger; even if he were to be destroyed his body would be restored in the Netherrealm.

I glared at him before turning away from him and making my way over to the others.

Liu Kang was tightening the straps on his arm-guards as I approached. He looked at me with tired but stern eyes. "Are you ready?"

I glanced at the others while I adjusted my mask and cowl. The adrenaline coming off of them was palpable and infectious. I suddenly felt pumped up, ready to unleash my more animal instincts. Some enemies you cannot afford to show mercy or compassion. I was ready to kill.

"We're going to bum rush 'em," spoke Jax. The gears in his arms were whirring and whining restlessly. "There's really nothing else we can do. They have the advantage over there."

"If only we had some weapons. A couple tanks…," said Sonya.

"Hey, we ARE the weapons," said Johnny Cage.

In the distance the camps of Tarkata were moving and appeared to notice us.

Jax slammed his fists together, ready for battle.

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p>I blocked a low kick from a Tarkatan with my hands, quickly dodging any strikes from the blades on his arms. Gaining some distance I punched the ground, freezing a fast trail underneath the fiend, sending large ice spikes to impale him from below.<p>

It was chaotic and we were surrounded by the fierce creatures. And I was envious of some of my allies' abilities to teleport. Smoke, Raiden, and Scorpion could escape serious attacks that way, but I had not the time to think more about it as six Tarkatan thugs circled me.

"Kiyaaa!" Johnny Cage leaped out of nowhere and kicked one fiend away as he landed with his back to mine. "You doin' all right there, buddy?"

"Of course," I answered, completely surprised that he'd want to help me. I admit, my wounds ached with pain each time a blow came in contact with them. "But I do appreciate the assistance."

"Anytime! HA!" He sent a few more flying, as did I.

Looking around briefly there seemed to be a never-ending amount of Tarkata here. And more poured out from the castle we were now fighting in front of. It was impossible for me to spot or keep track of the other Earthrealm warriors.

Suddenly I heard a shout from Raiden, and after I located him I saw he was running towards the castle.

"Reiko!" the thunder god growled. I looked in the direction he was headed and spotted a man wearing spiked armor and dark tattoos over his eyes quickly making his way from the castle entrance to the ruins. I took off after him as well, killing any that might be in my way.

Lord Raiden and Reiko made it there first and began fighting. I took note that it was quieter by the ruins; the battle had not yet reached this place.

I joined in the fight with a swift spin-kick, but Reiko blocked it and snarled as he pushed me away. I was surprised by his strength.

I suppose he made General for a reason.

Reiko actually managed to knock Raiden down, and laughed in his face. "You're a fool, Raiden! You and your pathetic fighters are outnumbered! And outmatched!"

"You're a fool to underestimate the pure-hearted!" Raiden shot back. He launched himself at Reiko who countered the attack with his own assault of shurikens.

A few of the throwing stars hit Raiden and as he staggered back I ran at Reiko, forming a block of ice around my fist, attempting to punch him across his face.

But he saw me coming and rammed me hard with his shoulder, sending me flying.

_Fuck…._ I landed hard on the ground and winced. Blood trickled down my chin as I struggled to breathe.

"Guys help! Crazy bitch is fighting me!"

That sounded like Johnny.

I hadn't realized he was so nearby. He must've followed close behind us.

As I lifted my head to look up towards my friend, the blood in my mouth and on my chin seemed to pull away from me of its own accord, large drops pooling on the dirt and grass below me. I watched in horror as my own puddle of blood moved away from me and traveled in the direction of Johnny and a woman dressed in red.

My blood completed its path to the woman and she seemed to absorb it…

Not good.

Immediately I shot up and ran to help Johnny, landing a kick to the woman's back.

The scarlet warrior yelled in anger and began to attack me with her very sharp-looking knives. But she was nowhere near fast enough to be in my league. And how dare she use my blood to make herself stronger?

She lunged at me again, and with a large shot of ice from my hands I easily engulfed her entire body into a solid block of ice.

Johnny used his Shadow Kick to completely shatter her frozen form.

_Good riddance._

"Thanks, man," Johnny panted.

"Not a problem," I mumbled, not looking at him but now looking at Raiden struggle with Reiko for the crystal around his neck.

The thunder god had the chain in his grasp, pulling at it tightly. But Reiko was pulling it away just as fierce.

Together, Johnny and I sprinted towards them. But as we approached, Reiko somehow got the upper hand and flung Raiden away from him, sending him flying into Johnny.

I continued the pursuit of Reiko, who took the chain off from around his neck and carried with it the crystal to the center of the ruins.

He was in a hurry and did not sense me until it was too late. I tackled him to the ground, knocking the crystal from his hand.

"You little shit!" he growled. He was attempting to crawl to the crystal which lay nearby, but I was grappling with him and making my own attempt to reach it first.

I elbowed him in the stomach a few times as hard as I could, and he released his hold on me, writhing in pain.

The crystal was violet in color, and shone brightly in the sun. I felt a surge of victory as I grabbed hold of it, but that feeling was brief, as Reiko struck me in the back of my head from behind.

He took the crystal from me, and I couldn't do anything about it. My vision was blurred and spotted as I tried to remain conscious.

Liu Kang came running up then, yelling at Reiko to stop.

But it was too late now. We watched as General Reiko laughed and cited an incantation in a language unknown to me.

The crystal started to glow and hum with power. And as violet-colored lightning surrounded Reiko and began to rip open a portal through this realm, I could see my other allies making their way to us as fast as they could.

"Stop him!" I heard Raiden shout.

Liu Kang and I were closest to Reiko and the portal at this point, so we sprinted at him, ready for a final attack.

The portal opened up completely—a black hole swirling behind our enemy.

Reiko sneered at us and turned to jump into the portal, and just as Liu Kang and I reached him, a large kunai pierced through Reiko's shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

"Get back here!" Scorpion shouted, pulling on the spear now attached to the General.

I grabbed a hold onto Reiko, and Liu Kang did the same, but it didn't matter. We were too close to the portal, and its natural pull sucked us in.

The three of us and Scorpion were sent through into Edenia.

* * *

><p>The portal spat us out the other end and I was just able to land on my feet.<p>

I quickly looked at my surroundings. Clear blue sky, green grass underfoot, and a large glittering lake not ten feet from where I landed.

It was beautiful. _Edenia…_

The sound of Reiko's voice broke me from my reverie.

"Idiots," he hissed. "I will reclaim this realm as well as all the others. And your friends cannot help you now."

He seemed to speak silently to the crystal still in his hand, and with that the portal closed abruptly.

Damn.

Near me, Scorpion growled as he drew his swords, leaping for the fiend in attack. Reiko was arrogant, and was completely unprepared for the spectre's supernatural strength.

I, too, was surprised. Liu Kang and I could only watch as they fought. It was incredible to see Scorpion strike as fast as he did, and to see the frustration and fear forming on the General's face.

To his credit, Reiko managed to block most of the blows from the spectre's swords, and eventually knocked them from his grasp.

But that was not enough to stop Scorpion, who continued a barrage of blows with his fists.

"Wait!" Liu finally shouted. "Make him open the portal again!"

Scorpion halted his beating but held firm onto General Reiko's throat, the latter's face ruined as blood poured from his nose and a gash above his eye.

"This can't be happening…" Reiko sputtered as he clawed at the spectre's grip.

I stepped closer to the villain. "You heard him. Open the portal."

Reiko looked at me with hatred in his eyes. "No!"

"I'd do as he says. Now." Scorpion's voice was deadly serious. When Reiko still did not comply, Scorpion put him in a headlock from behind, effectively choking him even more.

I thought for a moment that the villain would die here and we'd be stuck in yet another realm, until he began to speak.

"M-Master….help me…" he croaked.

"Master?" Liu Kang and I said in unison.

"Who is your master?" demanded Liu Kang.

Reiko ignored him. "I beg you… master… Shinnok… make him weak… if he didn't have these powers I could hrrkk-!" Scorpion tightened his hold, and his victim struggled helplessly.

_Shinnok? Who the hell is that?_

A deep, cold chill swept over me then. The same feeling and sense I got from the Netherrealm. But this was stronger. Like a breath of wind from an evil soul.

In the next instant Scorpion was struck by a blackish-blue ball of energy, forcing him to release Reiko from his hold.

The General fell to a knee and coughed, as Scorpion roared in what must have been pain.

What was happening?

"Scorpion!" I ran towards the spectre – who was clenching his hands against his head, his eyes shut tightly – and as I placed a hand on his shoulder the horrible energy shot up my arm, and knocked me on my ass.

My arm burned and I gripped it as I watched Scorpion give one final cry before he collapsed heavily onto the ground. Liu Kang moved quickly to me and helped me up.

Reiko chuckled as he stood up. "My allies are far stronger than yours!"

"Oh shut up already!" Liu marched toward him and did a cartwheel kick to the General's head, rendering him unconscious.

I rushed back to Scorpion's side.

He was struggling to stand up so I helped him to his feet. He seemed unharmed, but he was panting with deep, heavy breaths.

I stepped back in shock.

Scorpion was _breathing_….

Liu Kang walked up to us and stopped mid-stride. "Whoa!"

Scorpion looked between us, confused. "What?"

"Your eyes…" said Liu.

I couldn't stop myself from staring. His eyes were human once again, and they were a dark, honey-brown.

Scorpion backed slowly away from us and walked over to the lake. We watched as he peered down into the reflective waters - his back to us - and as he hurriedly ripped off his mask and cowl.

But there was no fiery skull as expected, only tanned flesh and black hair—that I guessed to be about shoulder length, as he had it tightly tied back.

Scorpion turned back to us slowly, a few loose strands of hair falling over his eye, and I saw his face in its entirety for the first time.

I never expected to see my brother's killer with so much humanity.

It was like looking at a different person. Not the demon that inspired nightmares but a living human man, with a face that was not at all unfortunate looking.

We didn't have a lot of time to react, because Reiko scrambled to his feet and opened the portal.

Shit, we forgot to take it from him. _Stupid!_

He jumped through and the three of us quickly followed. We could not allow him to bring his Tarkatan army here.

* * *

><p>Back in Outworld, the fighting continued as we had left it.<p>

Only this time the fight was taking place around the ruins, and so as we emerged from the portal we were immediately thrown into the battle.

After a few long moments, Scorpion challenged Reiko directly.

"I challenge you," he said to the General. "Just me and you. To Mortal Kombat."

Reiko halted his army with a wave of his hand—the horde of Tarkata stopped their movements, unsure.

The villain laughed. "You? You're as weak as your friends are now."

"It's over, Reiko," said Raiden. "You will not win. Stop the bloodshed."

Reiko scoffed. "Never. Outworld is mine! And so is Edenia!"

Kitana lunged forward, furious, but Jade held her back. "You are not fit to run the Netherrealm!"

Reiko smirked. "We shall see."

"Fight me then," Scorpion spoke again. "Am I not a creature of the Netherrealm?"

"You _were,_" corrected Reiko.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

The General growled through clenched teeth. "Fine. If it is your wish to die again, be my guest."

Scorpion looked confident, but I felt uneasy about this. If he was truly alive again, why risk it for us?

Reiko charged at the former spectre with a heavy-footed thrust kick, clearly aiming for his stomach.

If I had looked away I would have missed Scorpion catching Reiko's foot with both hands, a grin on his face.

"I may no longer have the powers of the Netherrealm on my side, but my skills are still superior to yours!" Scorpion told the shocked Reiko, and twisted the captured leg, causing the enemy to spin and fall.

The fear in Reiko's eyes was clear to see.

"I-Impossible!" his voice wavered.

The General got up again and Scorpion gave him no time for last words as he grabbed Reiko by the back of his head and slammed his face into his striking knee. There was an audible crunch and spray of blood against the Shirai Ryu's kneecap.

I felt relief. There wasn't much possibility for Reiko to live with a crushed skull.

Scorpion released the corpse and let it fall to the ground. He bent over it and retrieved the crystal.

Johnny Cage ran over to him excited. "Wooo! That was fucking awesome!"

"What the hell did we miss?" I heard Jax exclaim.

"So the Shirai Ryu is alive? murmured Smoke.

I looked at the number of Tarkatans left. They backed off slowly, angry but frightened.

Scorpion walked up to Kitana, holding out the crystal to her. "I think this should belong to you."

She looked him in the eye a bit before taking the crystal. "You have my gratitude."

Sonya came over and looked Scorpion up and down. "Wow. You look pretty good."

"Uh, thanks," he answered.

A few of the others laughed, but I did not find it so funny. We had other things to worry about here.

"I suggest you open that portal soon," I told Kitana.

Jade glared at me, and I softened a bit. I didn't mean to sound so cold. I guess she was still mad at me for rejecting her advances the other day. It's just that I have no time for that.

Raiden approached Kitana as well. "Princess, the Elder Gods have just spoken to me. They told me you are able to open the portal. The crystal is magic, and as you are Edenian, it is a part of you."

"But how?" she asked.

From there I stopped listening and turned my attention to Scorpion, who was now chatting quietly with Kung Lao, Johnny, and Jax. Now that he was alive, the others seemed to accept him more readily.

His presence wasn't as hostile now, but I knew he was still just as dangerous. Then I wondered if he'd miss his powers, assuming he no longer had any at all.

"Okay," Kitana spoke. "I'm ready."

I turned back to her to watch what would happen.

The Edenian princess cradled the crystal to her chest, until it began to glow, and I watched as it seemingly absorbed into her skin.

I don't understand much about magic, but her eyes began to glow bright violet, and it looked as though she opened the portal with her mind.

As the portal opened completely her eyes returned to normal and she relaxed. Liu Kang grabbed her hand, and she squeezed it in kind.

"We must hurry," she said. "I can only keep it open for so long."

"Then let's get out of here," said Kung Lao.

We made to leave when a terrible shrieking voice rang out around us.

"KILL THEM ALL!" it yelled. It sounded female, and for one horrible second I realized it must be Mileena's. No one else I had met could scream like that.

At once the other Tarkatan's rushed at us, their bladed arms swinging and pointed teeth snapping.

My allies and I looked at one another before bolting for the portal. I knew most of us were too exhausted to continue this fight.

I watched as the others jumped in, one at a time. Those of us a bit behind killing enemies along the way. Raiden stood by the portal's entrance making sure his warriors made it through first.

As I reached the portal I could see it was already beginning to close, and fast.

Smoke was ahead of me and I thought I was the last one, but when I looked behind me I saw Scorpion fighting off a large group. Smoke grabbed my arm and tried to pull me with him.

"Wait!" I shouted. My heart began to beat faster with panic. "Scorpion!"

"There's no time!" Raiden yelled as he helped grab me, forcing me into the portal.

The last thing I saw before the portal closed behind us was of Scorpion swinging his sword as the swarm of Tarkata surrounded him from all sides.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **The end! Just kidding.

Sorry again for taking so long…. I hit a bit of writer's block, and then once I got my groove back I read a MK fanfic that had a very similar crystal idea (d'ohh) so I had to change the story a lot. I hope you liked it. Sorry for any grammar mistakes or repeated words...I got kinda lazy...it was too long lol. I'll try not to take so long to write Ch. 8!


	8. SubZero: Back to Outworld Please

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews and feedback! :) This chapter is short, but I hope not too disappointing, haha.

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

><p>I landed on my back; unprepared from when I was dragged into the portal.<p>

We were all in Edenia now, and in the same grassy lake area from before.

I immediately jumped to my feet and faced the others.

"We have to go back!" I shouted.

"What? Why?" asked Sonya.

"Scorpion didn't make it through! Open the portal again," I said as I looked to Kitana.

Kitana looked tired, and unsure. The others looked exhausted as well. And not the least bit concerned.

That made me furious. I still had the image of Scorpion in my mind, and the prickly feeling of anxiety in my chest. I did not want to think about what was happening to him.

_And he's alive_, I thought. So much had happened, but somehow the former spectre had regained his life. Or at least that's what appeared to be the case.

I decided that if anyone in the world deserved a second chance it was Scorpion. And I would not let him be killed if I could help it.

Again, I pushed thoughts of him in mortal danger out of my mind.

"Why not?" I finally asked when I received no response from my allies.

Jax sighed. He was sitting on the ground, resting his arms on his knees. "He's probably already dead, man."

The others murmured in agreement.

I frowned. "We don't know that for certain."

Jax let out a bark of a laugh. "Oh yeah? With all those monsters around there that we were _running _from? It's not worth it."

My chest tightened in anger. "What do you mean, 'It's not worth it'?"

"I _mean_, it's not worth risking our lives again just to go back there to find out that he's dead. It sucks, but there's nothing we can do about it. And I doubt he'd do the same for any of us. AND in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly in the right shape to fight again so soon. I'm tired. We're all tired. And hurting."

I bit my lip and looked away. If I hadn't I might've ripped his head off.

"Scorpion is a man of honor, he would have gone back if it was one of us. He would have-"

"No," said Kung Lao. "For _you_ maybe. But not for the rest of us. He's not honor bound to us."

"And we're not to him?" I demanded. "If it wasn't for him we might all be dead, or captured."

"Well I don't know about that," Sonya said. "I think we would've had more or less the same outcome without him."

Raiden spoke before I could respond to that statement. "What happened after the three of you went through the portal the first time? How did Scorpion regain life?"

Liu stepped forward. "A dark orb of light hit him. We don't know where it came from. But Reiko was speaking to someone…"

"Who?" Raiden asked.

"I can't remember if he said a name. Everything happened very fast. And it was odd. I know that he called out for a master."

Raiden blinked in surprise. "A master?"

"Shinnok," I sighed in frustration. "Shinnok is what he called out to."

The thunder god's jaw dropped. For a moment he looked pale.

"Lord Raiden? Do you know what a Shinnok is?" Liu turned to him.

Raiden nodded but he looked lost in thought. "It doesn't make any sense…"

I didn't have time for this.

I didn't care about a Shinnok. Or a dead Reiko.

Kitana was looking around herself in happy recognition, and I was almost sorry to interrupt her.

"Princess Kitana, please open the portal once more." I hated having to plead. But I didn't know what else I could do.

She looked at me sadly. "I don't think it would be a wise decision…"

"Please," I said again.

"I don't know how long I can keep it open this time. And to risk all our lives—"

"I'll go alone."

"WHAT?" was the common response from my allies.

Although I was beginning to question the term 'allies'. These people didn't even want to help me.

"I'll go alone," I repeated. "I can do this by myself if I have to."

Smoke walked up to me and grabbed my bandaged arm. "Have you lost your mind? Look, you've reopened your wounds."

There was blood seeping from the bandage, but it wasn't too bad. I could ignore the pain.

I wrenched my arm out of his grasp and looked expectantly at Kitana.

"Why do you want to do this?" she asked me.

_Because I owe him._

_Because he's honorable._

_Because…_

"I want to do the right thing." I didn't have to add 'for once'. I think she could read it in my eyes.

Perhaps she understood, or just simply thought I wouldn't give up, because finally she nodded.

"Okay," she said. "I'll open it, but I'll have to close it behind you. I cannot allow any of those cursed creatures into my home realm. I'll wait here for one hour and reopen it. But if you're not back in time…"

"I understand." I would have agreed to anything at this point. "Thank you."

Smoke shook his head. "Sub-Zero, this is reckless."

"And we don't want to waste time waiting for you," said Raiden. He seemed to snap out of whatever was bothering him. "We still have much to discuss about our enemies. And we still have to escort the princess to her castle."

"It'll be all right," Kitana said. "I'm not sure if my people will accept me here, but we can give Sub-Zero a little time… Nobody seems to know we are here yet in any case."

Raiden nodded after a moment.

"Wait," said Smoke. "I'm going with you."

I looked at my friend and smiled. He moved to stand next to me and I could tell he did not want to do this.

"I'll make it up to you," I told him.

To my surprise, Johnny Cage went to stand next to us as well. "I'm going, too!"

"What?" cried Sonya.

Johnny shrugged. "Hey, Scorpion is part of our group. Sure, he's kinda terrifying. But he seemed like a cool guy."

"Johnny, don't be stupid. He's probably already dead." She glanced at me quickly. "We don't even know how loyal he is to us. What if he switched sides?"

I closed my eyes, trying to restrain myself from saying anything. I respected Sonya as a fighter, but I really wanted to tell her to shut her mouth.

Johnny laughed. "I'll be fine! I mean, I may not be as stealthy as a ninja, but with these two I can't go wrong. Plus, I just don't know if I could sleep at night knowing I didn't do anything to help a fellow Defender."

I rolled my eyes. The actor was determined to make that title stick.

Okay. That's enough.

"We're ready," I told Kitana.

"Anyone else?" She looked around to be sure.

Nothing.

And that was fine. I decided it would be easier with fewer people. Easier to hide at least. Johnny was right, Smoke and I were ninjas; we could melt into the shadows if we had to.

Kitana began the process of opening the portal, and we all tensed, anticipating the possibility of some Tarkatans slipping through. But as the portal grew in size, nothing threatening happened.

I looked at Smoke, who smiled. And at Johnny, who was grinning with confidence too.

Good. I suddenly felt optimistic.

"Let's go!" Johnny shouted, leaping into the portal first.

Sonya yelled at us to be careful as Smoke and I followed suit.

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><p><strong>AN: **Ch. 9 should be coming soon! I would've crammed it all into this chapter but it would have been too long. Please review! Or not! I will love you anyway! Lol


	9. SubZero: Let Me Have What's Left

**A/N: **Thank you reviewers and readers! I can't tell you how much I love it. I hope you all like this chapter! :)

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

><p>The sun was already setting as we entered Outworld yet again.<p>

Bodies and dismembered limbs littered the ground, but we were not met with any trouble.

"Let's hope they're all inside licking their wounds," whispered Johnny.

I stared up at the castle, now a dark and ominous looking place. There was the faint glow of torchlight illuminating from the windows.

"Well, there's definitely someone inside," I commented.

Smoke snorted. "Let's hope it's not ALL of them."

_Least of all Mileena…_ I thought with a shudder.

* * *

><p>I pressed myself against a wall in one of the many stone corridors in the castle. A wounded Tarkatan soldier moved past the hallway without noticing me. Most of the ones I had seen had been wounded or exhausted from the previous battle. Good. I moved on, my footfalls not making a sound.<p>

As soon as we were able to sneak into the castle, Smoke and I decided to split up—agreeing to meet back at the entrance before Kitana's hour was up. Johnny Cage was less than pleased about it, but we convinced him it'd be quieter to search individually.

And actually, he surprised us with how agile and stealthy he could be.

Now I was searching alone, looking in various rooms and chambers, hoping to find Scorpion alive.

I vaguely wondered if the other two had found him already. But somehow I felt that they had not.

One hour is not a long time, and I was moving as fast I could.

_Where could he be?_ I refused to think that he might not even be in this castle.

And if Scorpion were still a part of the undead, I might have been able to sense the Netherrealm and follow that lead. It seemed a funny thought that I wouldn't have to worry about that feeling ever again, just when I was beginning to get used to it.

Thinking of the Netherrealm made me think of a dungeon—a place I had not yet checked in this fortress.

Hurriedly I managed to find a staircase leading down into what I could only assume were the dungeons. It was darker down there, making it easy for me to hide if need be.

I followed along through a deep hallway that had prison-like cells on each side. I glanced quickly into each one, noting the various bodies chained to the walls, and skeletal bones lying about.

The dungeons continued on around a corner and I thoughtlessly turned into it without trying to conceal myself. Of course, there were more rooms, and four Tarkata standing guard outside one of the cells.

_Shit._

Their heads snapped in my direction immediately, followed by snarling and a charging of attack, but I had come here ready for a fight.

* * *

><p>"Damn!" I watched in irritation as one of the Tarkata escaped my grasp and fled through the corridor, no doubt to call for back up.<p>

The other three bodies laid strewn about me. I had taken care of them easily, but cursed myself for allowing one to get away.

No time to worry about that.

I cautiously entered the cell they had been guarding. It was a bit larger than the others, and didn't have a door. As I stepped further in, I could make out the shape of someone sitting against the far wall…

"Scorpion?" I walked up to the figure and as I got closer I could tell it was him by his armor—which was still intact. He didn't appear to be hurt, but was bound and chained to the wall by his arms.

He looked up at me in surprise. And the rush of relief I felt could not be described. I was happy.

"Did you kill them?" he asked.

I assumed he meant the guards. "All but one."

"Hurry then." Scorpion pulled tight on his chains, obviously frustrated that he could not break them himself.

"You're welcome, by the way." I smirked as I inspected the chains momentarily before freezing them and breaking them into pieces.

I was almost lightheaded from being pleased with myself. Not only was Scorpion alive, but I had been the one to save him myself. I resisted the urge to taunt him.

He said nothing, but almost fell forward when I released him from his restraints.

That made me hesitate. Other than a dirty face, he seemed to be fine. I could see dried blood on him, but it didn't look like it came from his person.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He grunted in response and stood up almost unsteadily.

I watched him with a wary eye. "Well?"

"Well what?" he snapped.

I glared at him. Of all the rude… After everything I just did for his ungrateful ass!

"Maybe you're becoming deaf in your old age, but I asked you a question," I snapped back.

Scorpion's eyes narrowed. "I'm fine."

"Good. Then you won't slow us down." I pushed past him and left the cell. He followed.

* * *

><p>My good mood had disappeared completely.<p>

_Stupid Scorpion…_

It was all his fault. Perhaps I should have left him to rot.

I turned my head slightly to look back at him. He was still following me, and we were making our way out of the castle as quietly as possible.

"For your sake you better hope Smoke and Johnny are unharmed," I told him in a hushed tone.

"I didn't ask for any of you to come back for me," he hissed.

"Then excuse us. It was our mistake."

"Moron," he said. "You could have been killed coming here."

I sighed. "Trust me, no one else wanted to."

When he was silent for a beat, I stopped and turned around. He was leaning against the wall, panting slightly. He looked ill.

I softened my tone considerably. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Of course I am," he said solemnly.

Scorpion pushed himself off against the wall and continued walking on a bit ahead of me.

Finally we managed to make it to the castle entrance, where we were met with the chaotic scene of Smoke fighting a small number of Tarkatan soldiers.

I was about to run in to assist him when Johnny Cage jumped out in front of me.

"We were waitin' for you guys!" he said happily. "C'mon, let's get out of here!"

Smoke saw us and threw a cloud of thick smoke at our enemies, temporarily blocking their vision of the immediate area, giving the four of us enough time to get outside.

"We're the luckiest sons of bitches I know!" Johnny shouted as we ran for the portal.

Thank the Gods it was still open. Apparently our hour wasn't over yet.

This time I made sure Scorpion went through the portal first, while the rest of us jumped in after him.

* * *

><p>Two hours. Two hours have passed and Scorpion has not said anything at all.<p>

From the time we entered Edenia I had been keeping my eye on him.

The others were relieved to see us when we came through the portal, and Kitana closed it behind us.

After a few small and unimportant conversations, Raiden declared it time for Kitana to lead the way to the Edenian palace. She had been nervous, but I could tell she was excited too.

It took about an hour to make it to the palace on foot. I suppose we could have teleported with the thunder god's help, but he did not know where it was.

Once there, Kitana was greeted with nothing but acceptance and utter joy from her people. The Edenians seemed to have been waiting for an heir to return, and they were happy to receive Princess Kitana and her friends.

Inside the enormous – and beautiful – palace we were given a small tour and brief description of the rest of the grounds by an older man with graying hair. His name was Master Rong and he was one of the royal advisors and happy to take his place at Kitana's service.

Most of the servants and other Edenians had been slaves under Shao Kahn's rule, but I think it was easy to tell that Kitana would not treat them that way. Honestly she acted quite poised the entire time.

Jade, too, was happy to be in her home realm. Enough so to stop giving me the cold shoulder, so to speak.

I admit, it felt nice to have friends. Even though I was tentative about trusting my allies completely, it was nice to feel safe finally. Safe enough that we could rest and not have to worry about fighting. At least for a time.

It was now, two hours after we had left the portal from Outworld that we were all here now, listening to Master Rong explaining where we would be able to rest, and clean ourselves up.

But I was hardly paying attention.

I kept looking back at Scorpion, who stood behind the rest of our group. He looked pale to me, and there was a sheen of sweat on his brow. And ever since we arrived here he hadn't spoken to anyone.

There hadn't been much time for talking anyway. Raiden told us that he wanted to speak with us all later, but for now he wanted us to rest. And allow Kitana to settle into her role as Queen.

Master Rong was very animated when he talked. I could only assume that this was an exciting time for him. How many years had it been for the Edenian people since life had been somewhat back to normal?

"We never dreamed of this happening," said Rong. "For our Princess to come back to us. I can speak on behalf of all Edenia, that we are grateful to all of you. For all you have done…"

He gave us a deep bow, which made me a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't used to having this much respect from someone who did not fear me for their life.

He continued to speak of a banquet in our honor, of a celebration. Not today, of course, but perhaps in a day's time.

Kitana assured him that there was no hurry, and that even his gratitude alone was enough.

Well, _I_ could go for _some _food as thanks.

Again I turned to look at Scorpion. And just in time, because as soon as I did the Shirai Ryu swayed on his feet and toppled backwards onto the floor.

"Scorpion!" I was kneeling over him in a flash.

The others rushed to his side as well, hovering over him in a circle.

Sonya felt his pulse and confirmed that he was unconscious.

I didn't understand. He had looked okay… Mostly…

"Look, look!" Jade pointed at Scorpion's left side, just under his ribs.

A large, wet spot of blood was spreading across his torso. I ripped open his uniform partway to get a better view of the wound. Sure enough, he had a rather nasty stab wound in his side.

Some of the blood was dried and sticky around the bleeding wound. How had I missed it? He must have been injured this whole time.

Kitana turned to Master Rong. "Fetch the surgeon, quickly!"

"Yes, my lady!" Rong called out a few orders to the other servants and they scrambled away.

_Damn it, Scorpion. _I thought. _Damn you…_

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><p><strong>AN: **Review? I know it's a bit slow-going as far as this story is progressing, but honestly I'm rushing it a bit faster than it was in my head. I have no patience for my own story! lol. But there will be more interactions between them in upcoming chapters. :)

I'd like to thank my reviewers of course...

**YoshisSupport: **Is three days later soon enough? ;D

**CrazyGirlMe: **Thank you! I appreciate it.

**Sand Dun: **I hope the reunion wasn't disappointing. This is a slow building relationship after all... Even though I am kinda pushing things just a smidge... I really have no patience. x_X

**Snivy Terphione: **For PANDA!


	10. Scorpion: Walls

**A/N: **Scorpion's POV! Thank you for all the kind reviews. You guys rock!

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

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><p>Blackness.<p>

Nothingness.

A familiar feeling.

This darkness - this place between dreaming and wakefulness - is the only place I've felt peace in a long time.

I had felt this darkness before, only to have been awakened as a new being in the Netherrealm.

In Hell.

My eyes opened abruptly, my heart pounding in my chest.

For a moment I feared I'd wake again as a spectre. But no, I was human. Vaguely aware that I was lying down on my back, on a bed, I stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

I didn't bother to look at the rest of my surroundings—the memories of recent events came flooding back, and I assumed I must be somewhere inside the Edenian castle.

I was unsure of how I felt about this.

Why would these fools help me at all?

As soon as I was able I would leave. Nothing was keeping me here except for my vow to the Lin Kuei warrior. But I could protect him from afar. I had been doing that for awhile, and without him even knowing until recently.

But what would I do now?

Something or someone had given me the gift of life. I didn't plan on squandering it.

Then it hit me. _Quan Chi…._

I still yet had a purpose: to destroy him and exact my full vengeance.

The only problem I might come across is the weakness being human provided. Fighting against a sorcerer without—

"OW!" Something pinched my neck. Hard.

Instinctively I whipped my head just in time to catch the offending hand retreating back to its owner.

Sub-Zero.

"What the hell was that for?" I yelled at him.

The Lin Kuei was scowling, seated next to me on a wooden chair.

"You lied to me," he said disapprovingly.

I opened my mouth to object when I realized what he was talking about. The wound in my side ached and throbbed as I lifted my head a bit to look at it. It was bandaged neatly.

It was then that I noticed I was only wearing pants. I sighed and let my head fall back against the bed.

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"Almost three days," replied Sub-Zero. "You lost a lot of blood."

What a waste of time. I frowned. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing that we can't talk about later. Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

I looked at him. "Would it have mattered?"

"Yes! Maybe I could have done something…"

"Shut up. I didn't want to slow us down. And whether I died there or here it would make no difference. The important thing was to get you to Edenia. And whether you knew or not, it would have not changed the fact that I was hurt."

"Perhaps not. Are you mad I came for you?"

I turned away, somewhat confused. Was I mad? And how could he tell me something like that? That he came for me. What did he care? What was he after?

"I was… It was a stupid thing to do."

"You would have done the same."

I almost smiled. "That's different. You owe me nothing."

"Do you consider us even now?"

"Even?"

"I think I proved that I don't need you hovering around me anymore."

I sighed, closing my eyes. I needed time to think. There were too many different emotions flooding my mind. When I was undead, the only real emotions I felt were rage, or sorrow. Or both hideously combined.

Now I had emotions I had forgotten. Even breathing was new to me. All my senses were alive.

I was overwhelmed.

"I'm tired," I said, thinking aloud.

There was a long silence between us. But it was strangely comfortable. I was almost about to drift off to sleep again when Sub-Zero leaned forward and rested his arms on the side of my bed.

"So what happened back there?" he asked. "Who stabbed you?"

"Baraka," I answered.

Sub-Zero shifted in surprise. "Baraka? Why? Actually I'm shocked that was the extent of your injuries…"

I sighed again. "He was… Is… jealous, somewhat."

The Lin Kuei looked confused all over again. "What?"

"He seems to have an obsession with Mileena, who seems to have an unhealthy interest in…me." I was embarrassed to tell him this. "She had planned to keep me."

I watched angrily as Sub-Zero turned his head to stifle his laughter.

"Yes, laugh at my pain and near death experience," I said sarcastically.

"I apologize. Don't pout."

WHAT?

"I do not pout!" I shouted.

He laughed again. I found it strange. He was being very free with me right now.

"Have you slept at all?" I questioned.

Sub-Zero shook his head. "Not yet. I admit, I am feeling a bit lightheaded, but I could stay up longer if I had to."

I looked at him thoughtfully. The young Lin Kuei had risked his life for mine… It reminded me of my fallen clan. My friends. My family… Things I had forgotten in detail. They were no longer shadows to hold onto, memories I could no longer feel.

I wondered if I'd ever see my family again.

"You don't have to be here," I said. "I'm fine now."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure all my hard work wasn't for nothing."

"Ah."

"And in the future, I hope you won't lie to me again."

"I might."

He gave me a dirty look but said nothing. It was hard to believe, that we could arrive at this point from wanting to kill each other at Shao Kahn's tournament. But he was different from his brother, from other Lin Kuei. It occurred to me that he might have fit well among the Shirai Ryu.

And somehow, despite everything, I found myself trusting this young man. It was irritating.

"So," I ventured. "were your friends hurt in my 'rescue'?" I would never admit to the others that I needed to be rescued. But there really was no use in lying to Sub-Zero.

"No, we were lucky," he admitted.

"Next time don't come for me," I told him.

"You're an idiot."

"Why? You know as well as I do that one is not worth risking all in battle."

"Aren't you the one that told me I was stronger than I first thought?"

"Not stronger than I. Or wiser. I noticed you didn't have much of a plan."

He huffed. "You never plan anything!"

"You don't know me very well."

"I know you better than the others do."

"That's not really saying much…"

"True," he said. "But I guess you're not really considered part of the group yet."

"And that's fine with me."

"Why are you so annoying?"

"Me?" If the others in Raiden's group got my blood pressure up like this I definitely wouldn't want to get to know them. I had no need to anyway.

"Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself," he warned.

"Feh. Don't mother me. Or better yet, don't talk down to your elders."

Sub-Zero sat up straight in his chair. "What! How young do you think I am?"

Hmm. "Twenty-five?"

I was guessing. I had no idea.

He looked at me like I grew another head. "I'm twenty-nine!"

I started to chuckle but stopped myself because it hurt.

"Maybe you should…act your age…" I said in between throbs of pain.

Sub-Zero was glaring at me. "Okay, old man."

Just then my stomach growled. And I felt another wave of pain.

"Argh!"

"Hungry?" he asked. "The Edenians wanted to throw us a special celebration. But since you could not participate they decided to wait. I'll got tell them you're awake, and to bring you some food."

Food. I couldn't remember what it was like to eat. I'd have to get used to so many things now.

Sub-Zero stood up. "The others may not consider you a friend, but they do not wish any harm on you."

_As far as you know, _I thought.

"Does this mean we're friends?" I said in a mocking tone. But something inside me was childishly hoping this was the case. What the hell was wrong with me?

"No. Not yet."

He walked over to the doorway and just as he was about to leave I stopped him. I was compelled against my will.

"Sub-Zero! Ah…wait."

He turned to look at me.

"My name is Hanzo… Hanzo Hasashi."

He stood still for a long moment, then nodded and left the room.

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><p><strong>AN:** Review? More? =P


	11. Scorpion: Torn

**A/N: **Thanks for the awesome reviews! I love reading them~

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p>I watched as Sub-Zero pulled the chair to its customary spot beside my bed. The Edenian nurses – or whatever they were called here – had just left after changing my bandages and taking my dirty dishes away.<p>

A few more days had passed since I'd first woken up here, and I was recently allowed to sit up on my own. According to the surgeon, my stitches were looking fine. Still hurt, though.

The Lin Kuei sat and gave a small greeting. "You look bored."

"I'm losing my mind," I replied tonelessly.

The healers told me emphatically that I needed to rest to heal the torn muscles in my side. At first it had not been a problem. But the more I healed the more I was itching to train. To spar. To do something!

And enough as I hated to admit it, Sub-Zero was the only thing now keeping me from going completely stir crazy. He visited me for a few hours every day, updating me on anything interesting going on in the castle. Or if he had nothing to report we simply sat in companionable silence.

I tried to stray from any personal topics—after I had carelessly told him my true name. And Sub-Zero didn't pry or bring it up again.

I was…grateful.

There, another reason I needed to get out of this room. I was becoming soft—even enjoying this fool's company. But I would tolerate no other.

Though, nobody else attempted to check in on me.

"Johnny Cage would have come to see you," Sub-Zero had told me one day. "But he was too afraid that you might murder him for intruding."

The thought made me smirk.

And it seemed to be the same with The Others; they were too frightened of me to bother me, or just didn't care enough about me. I didn't care for any of them either.

I had taken to calling Raiden and his Earthrealm Defenders, 'The Others'. They were people I had no interest to associate with unless the need called for it. And I couldn't bring myself to think of being in the same group with them when Sub-Zero and I talked about them. He had started referring to them as The Others as well, something that made me chuckle.

Today, Sub-Zero crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"Raiden left this morning," he said.

"Hm." _So what?_

"Don't you care to know why?" he asked, annoyed.

I shrugged. "No. Not if it doesn't concern me."

"And here I thought you were bored…"

"Tch. And you think I'd find anything to do with Raiden interesting?"

Sub-Zero frowned. "It concerns all of us. Actually, The Others aren't all that worried about it either. It's starting to piss me off."

"Why?"

"Because Raiden told us about this Shinnok being... I guess he's the one that gave you life. He used to be an Elder God."

I felt my eyes go wide. "Really?"

"Yes, but… He went mad with power. And now rules over the Netherrealm. Shinnok is a very powerful, and very evil sorcerer. Lord Raiden left to seek council with the Elder Gods and figure out what's going on. I don't like any of it."

So…a Fallen Elder God gave me life? This couldn't end well.

I know it was to make me weaker, and to tell the truth, I missed my elemental powers. But I was far from weak. If this Shinnok was a threat to us, why hadn't he done any damage? Why not attack us here?

"Have you ever heard of him in the Netherrealm?" Sub-Zero broke me from my thoughts.

"No," I replied. "Never heard of him before. If he had any dealings with Quan Chi or Shang Tsung, I was not aware."

Sub-Zero brought his hand to his chin, thinking.

Well, there was nothing we could do about it now. Let Raiden handle this mess.

"Are there any portals to Earthrealm here?" I asked.

Sub-Zero laughed in surprise. "How can you just change the subject like that?"

"What?" I gave him a curious look. "I think it's a damn important subject."

He sighed. "According to Kitana's people there are many. They just have to open them. It's been awhile, but - like all things in these realms - magic is a big part of their lives. Or at least used to be, before Shao Kahn…"

I could feel the anticipation crawling through my skin. I could finally get out of here and back to my home realm. That's all I wanted.

Well, mainly my family back and Quan Chi's head on a spike… But I could handle baby steps.

"You don't look excited at all," I pointed out.

I caught a flash of sadness in his eyes, and that surprised me.

"I am eager to go home," he said. "Of course I am. I just…don't know where 'home' is anymore."

"Ah." I had momentarily forgotten that Sub-Zero was no longer part of the Lin Kuei clan.

Perhaps I should stop referring to him as one…

I had nowhere to go either, but I could handle being on my own. Sub-Zero on the other hand, has always had a clan to rely on, and now that he's left them they'll be hunting him down. Nobody leaves the Lin Kuei alive—that I know for certain.

The Shirai Ryu were never that cruel. We were even allowed to have families. To have celebrations. It was as normal a life an assassin could have.

I found myself feeling sorry for Sub-Zero.

"Don't worry about me," he assured. "I'll be fine. I always am."

My face flushed with heat. "Who said I was worried?"

He laughed at me again. "You're much easier to read now that you have a face."

I was angry and horrified at myself. He was teasing me! How had I allowed someone to become so comfortable around me?

"So when can I get outta here?" I asked grumpily.

"You mean out of this room or—"

"Out of Edenia!"

"It's hard to say," smiled Sub-Zero. "The Others are content to stay here for a while. They're all acting like this is some kind of vacation. But I'm sure by the time you're able to walk around, the Edenians will have opened a portal or two back to Earth. They still want to throw us a party, you know."

"They don't have to wait for me. I have no desire to attend a party."

"Well, that's up to you."

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. "Are you going?"

"Yes, most likely. I didn't plan on it, but honestly Scorpion, I do consider most of The Others to be my friends. And if they're going, then I will too. It might even be fun."

Fun? I couldn't see any fun hanging around bothersome strangers.

"You should go," he finally suggested. "They have a really good rum-type drink here. You might like it."

"I don't want to have to deal with the people here. Do you not get that?"

Sub-Zero glared at me. "So, what? You're going to hide out in here for the rest of our stay?"

"Hide?" I blinked. "HIDE? I am not hiding! I was stabbed remember? Right here." I pointed at my bandages.

Sub-Zero rubbed his face in his hands. "Fine. You do what you want."

"Uh, I will. Thanks for your permission."

"Stop it," he snapped. "You're acting like a child."

"_You're_ acting like a child."

"Scorpion, I'm only trying to help you."

I scoffed. "I don't need your help. Or anybody else's for that matter."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you would have preferred to stay bound in chains by Mileena."

"Maybe I would have loved it."

"Okay, now you're five years old."

"_You're _five years old."

"No I'm not!"

"_No _you're not!" Wait. Damn it!

Sub-Zero doubled over in laughter. I waited for him to regain his composure, seething quietly to myself.

He stood up, still smiling wide. It made him look so young. And I found the corners of my mouth involuntarily turning up in a grin in return.

"I've upset you," he said good-naturedly. "I should let you rest."

I nodded slowly in agreement. I was tired.

He walked over to the door and hesitated before leaving the room.

Finally, he turned back to me, his hand resting on the doorframe. "You know, Scorpion. I didn't like anyone else in Raiden's group for a long time. Except for Smoke—he's my best friend, so that goes without saying. And I thought that was good enough. But it's not so bad having other friends. They're all good people. And I think they all mean well. They would accept you more readily if you made an attempt to talk to them. And I would be your friend, if you'd let me."

I lowered my gaze in thought as I heard Sub-Zero leave the room.

Maybe he had a point. I remembered how he had said that no one else had wanted to come after me in Outworld.

But he still failed to realize that I did not WANT any friends. And I had no need for them.

Perhaps having allies would be beneficial to me. But he couldn't see that it hurt me. And I hated that.

I was afraid. And angry. All my loved ones…my friends…were dead. Slaughtered.

I couldn't form words to explain that I never wanted to go through that pain again. There would never be anyone who could replace what I had lost.

I felt weak, hating myself for feeling fear. For feeling lonely.

I carefully slid down on the bed till I was lying on my back. I sighed and stared at the ceiling.

My heart had been torn open so much, and it had taken a long time to fill it with hatred and thoughts of vengeance. That was the only important thing now. To hold it together until Quan Chi was rotting in the deepest parts of Hell.

I pushed any thoughts of my wife and child away for now. Otherwise I might go completely insane.

Closing my eyes, I could hear Sub-Zero's voice inside my head; the last thoughts before I fell asleep.

"_I would be your friend, if you'd let me."_

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><p><strong>AN: **Somebody needs some huggins. Hope this chapter wasn't too short, haha

**Sand Dun: **Yes, Hanzo Hasashi is Scorpion's official real name from the games. :)

**Xelly-chan: **Thank you! What a great compliment.

And thank you to all that review! I read them all and survive off of them!


	12. Johnny: Lord Cage

**A/N:** Johnny's POV! I know this took forever to update. My laptop died, and then I had trouble with my internet. But enough excuses! Please read :) This chapter is mostly to move the story along...

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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><p>I smiled as I reclined back on a large sofa in one of the many common rooms. The windows here were big and tall—letting plenty of sunshine into the place.<p>

I missed my sunglasses…

And hotels, and paparazzi, and even my agent.

My agent…I wonder if he's telling people I'm dead. And how many movie roles I'm missing out on. How long has it been anyway?

This whole adventure is starting to blend together in my head.

Still, things could be a lot worse. I mean, there's nothing wrong about relaxing in a palace.

"Lazy ass," someone muttered behind me.

I craned my head back to see Sonya standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. She was smiling, though. That's always a good sign.

"Well good morning, beautiful." I motioned for her to join me and she took a seat next to me on the sofa.

Man, she really did look beautiful. I might not be a fan of the way Edenian men dress—mainly with black pants and boots, and colorful shirts with high collars, or tunics, most of them ranging from the 'cool' side of the color spectrum. Or colorful robes for the older, more distinguished gents. No, thanks!

But Edenian _women _on the other hand… Well, let's just say the skimpier the dress the better. Especially if you were a warrior.

Today, Sonya was mostly covered up in a purple dress.

"Morning?" she said amused. "You do know it's sometime after noon."

I looked out the large window from my seat, trying to catch a glimpse of the sun. Some people can tell time by looking at the sun, right?

"Bah, who can tell here," I grumbled, turning my attention back to her. "They don't have clocks in this realm. Do they?"

Sonya shook her head.

I laughed out loud. Of course. All the magic and power in an ancient civilization—and no impressive technology.

I guess they didn't really need it though.

Not that I missed technology all that much, either. It was kinda nice just having things be simple.

Sonya smiled, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

She settled in against my side and I could feel my heart thump loudly in my chest.

_Yes! _

I wasn't exactly sure what we were to each other now. But I knew she liked me.

Ever since I helped rescue Scorpion she acted a lot more interested in me. She still won't admit that she was worried about me, though.

And our first day in the palace, while I was attempting to flirt with a particularly cute servant girl, she got really pissed off and threatened to kick my teeth in. Not to mention the death glare she gave that girl.

But I'm totally okay with that. As long as it meant she was jealous over little ol' me.

So, since that day we've come to a sort of understanding. I guess we're not officially together, but hey, it's a start.

I looked into Sonya's eyes and she gave me a questioning look, like she wanted to ask me something but decided against it.

"What is it?" I asked, a little more alert now.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "I just….ugh, I don't want to be that typical cliché girl."

I turned my body to face her completely. "Sonya, what are you talking about?"

She smiled a little sheepishly. "I was going to ask you what you were thinking about. You just seemed so lost in thought. Can you imagine that? That I'd actually care what a man was thinking?"

Ha. The Cage has drawn another one in.

"Well, my thoughts are pretty fascinating," I replied, relaxing against the sofa again.

She rolled her eyes. "I bet."

"Actually, I was thinking about you. All good things, of course."

"Really?" She sat up a little straighter, obviously pleased. "Thinking about what a strong, independent woman I am?"

I gave her a lopsided grin. "No, I was thinking about how sexy your legs look in that dress."

Sonya laughed and promptly elbowed me in my ribs.

"Aghh!" I let go of her shoulders and doubled over in pain. Whoever said girls couldn't hit was out of his damn mind.

"You big baby," Sonya said affectionately, patting me on the head.

"Lovebirds!" barked a deep voice. "Get a room!"

I looked up to see Jax, sitting with a grumpy expression on his face at a table at the other end of the room. He was eating – lunch, I guess – with an amused looking Smoke and Kung Lao. Liu Kang was there too, but he was ignoring us and continued on eating.

I almost forgot they were there.

"You get a room!" I shouted back at him. "My woman can beat me in public all she wants!"

"Hey!" Sonya protested. "I'm not your woman. And I don't beat you!"

"But you can," smirked Kung Lao. "All you want!"

"Shut up, Kung Lao," Sonya snapped. "Eat your food."

"Yes, mother," Smoke quipped.

I grinned while Sonya called them idiots under her breath.

This was the most relaxed I'd been in weeks.

* * *

><p>A little while later Sub-Zero entered the room with a reluctant looking Scorpion.<p>

I immediately jumped to my feet to greet them. I hadn't seen Scorpion since the saving, and I genuinely wanted to know how he was doing.

"Hey, buddy! How's it going? They finally let you out?" I noticed Scorpion was wearing his armor. "Why aren't you wearing regular clothes? Well, y'know, regular for this realm."

"Don't call me 'buddy'," he rasped, scowling.

I sighed internally. Talking to this guy could be tricky. But I could get almost anyone to lighten up. Eventually.

"Okay, pal," I told him.

Scorpion tensed up but didn't say any more about it.

"He's wearing his armor because he's stubborn," Sub-Zero explained, sounding just a tad annoyed. "He refused to put on the Edenian clothes that were provided for him."

Sub-Zero himself was wearing the expected black pants, and a blue shirt. Of course.

"They took my weapons," Scorpion muttered. He looked uncomfortable without them.

"Yeah," I replied. "They took all of ours. Not that I had any…but still."

Smoke came over to us then. I knew the others weren't big fans of Scorpion's. Yep, even as I looked back at Sonya real quick I could see that she had her arms folded across her chest, and she didn't have a happy expression on her face.

"How long have you been up and about?" asked the grey ninja. I always thought he acted indifferent towards Scorpion, but I also knew as Sub-Zero's friend he'd try to make an effort.

Because, I guess, Scorpion was Sub-Zero's friend now too. I don't know. The whole thing was weird. But I like to just go with the flow.

"Since this morning," answered Scorpion.

We waited a second for him to elaborate, but he never did.

"H'okay, well," I said turning to Smoke. "We were just talking about how the castle guards took all our weapons."

"Mm," was Smoke's noncommittal reply.

This conversation was dying, and fast. No! Not with me around! Never!

"What's with the long hair fellas?" I blurted out. It was the only thing I could think of. But seriously, I was curious about it.

Scorpion and Smoke blinked together in confusion, while Sub-Zero smacked a palm to his forehead.

"Really?" asked Sub-Zero, incredulous.

"Yeah!" I said. "I mean look at them. Two fierce warriors with long, gorgeous locks. What's that about?" I almost called them ladies, but quickly reminded myself that I didn't want to die.

Smoke snorted and ran a hand through his silver hair. "I like it this way. It wasn't always long, but it doesn't really get in my way or anything. It's shorter than his," he said, pointing to Scorpion.

The yellow ninja's eyes widened. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing, really." I gave him a thoughtful look, completely fucking with him. "Very…manly."

"What's this about long hair?" asked Liu. He walked up to us and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Your hair's not that long, Liu," I told him. "Shoulder length does wonders on you."

"But not on me?" Smoke said indignantly.

Haha. This was awesome.

Scorpion seemed confused. "This style of hair is common in my village."

"It suits you, and seems to be the norm in Edenia as well," Sub-Zero assured him. He glared at me, as if he was telling me to knock it off.

Fat chance. He should be happy we had Scorpion joining in the conversation at all now.

"Is this what men talk about?" Sonya cut in, looking at us from her seat. "Fascinating. And my mother tells me I need more female friends in my life…"

I made a face at her. "Harr harr."

Liu looked past us toward the door. "Speaking of female friends…"

I followed his gaze and saw Kitana sauntering in with Jade, and Master Rong scurrying close behind. It was a funny sight only because the old man was shorter than the women, and had a hard time keeping pace.

"My friends," Kitana greeted warmly. "I am glad to find you all here. I have some news to—"

"Honored guests!" Master Rong interrupted, a touch too enthusiastically. "On behalf of our beloved, returned Princess and the realm, it would be my pleasure to invite you all to her ceremonial coronation as heir to Edenia!"

"Coronation?" Sonya said, hopping over the couch to stand with the rest of us.

Kitana sighed softly, but smiled. "I am to be made Queen."

I gave a 'whoop!' of excitement. "That's great! Congrats, Kitana."

She would be a good queen. Everyone thought so.

After everybody was finished congratulating her, a very embarrassed Kitana spoke again.

"I want you all to be there," she said. "And afterward there is to be a celebration. I hadn't wanted it to be too extravagant, but my council seems insistent."

Master Rong smiled. "It's just been so long since Edenia has been whole. The people are happy."

I was pumped. A party sounded awesome right now.

"That's not all," Jade announced, a smug smile on her face.

"Oh, yes." Master Rong turned to address all of us. "It would be our honor and privilege to grant you all lordships in our kingdom."

My mouth hung open. I don't think I was the only one that was shocked.

Kitana nodded happily in approval.

"Is that necessary?" Sub-Zero said quietly.

"Of course!" Master Rong exclaimed.

"It's less than all of you deserve," Kitana agreed.

Well. Lord Cage _did _have a nice ring to it. It wasn't too big a deal anyway. Pretty much all of us would be leaving soon. Edenia wouldn't have to worry about being stuck with a bunch of new 'lords' to serve and feed. Unless that was what they wanted.

"So, when's all of this going down?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," Kitana answered simply.

"Tomorrow!" Sonya cried in surprise. "Don't you need more time to…get whatever ready?"

Master Rong shook his head, and looked as though he were dealing with impatient children. "We can prepare for the coronation easily enough, since my Princess is of modest tastes. And the castle has been preparing for a celebration since you all arrived."

That's right, I forgot all about that. Jeez, the last time I heard about it was probably a month ago.

We all turned to stare at Scorpion. His expression was priceless.

"You didn't have to wait for me!" he growled, clearly irritated with having all eyes on him.

Heh.

"Nonsense," tutted Master Rong. "We want everyone to attend. But uh…" He looked Scorpion up and down. "You'll have to change of course. Unless there's a battle, only the castle knights may wear armor."

Scorpion frowned. "And if I refuse?"

The old man's eyes twinkled dangerously. "There are other ways to make one cooperate."

My eyes widened a bit at the veiled threat. Creeeeepy.

"Please, Scorpion," Kitana said sweetly. "You need only make an appearance…"

"Fine," the yellow ninja muttered unhappily.

I would have bugged him to go, too. I mean I'd pay good money to see that guy drunk and doing crazy shit.

Master Rong clasped his hands together. "Excellent. My lady, if it please you…" He bowed to take his leave. Probably to make final preparations for tomorrow.

Kitana gave an elegant dip of the head and the creepy old man left.

* * *

><p>It wasn't too long after but everyone settled into just hanging out and chatting. And soon after that we all started dispersing and going off to do different things.<p>

Scorpion was the first to leave, or storm off, after Kitana told us the basics of what was expected of being a lord. And that we'd have a small ceremony for that after she was crowned. It was so cool.

I was actually kinda surprised to see Sub-Zero linger behind to socialize. He seemed to be loosening up more. Then I was less surprised when he excused himself to go look for Scorpion.

Sonya's eyes darkened as she watched him leave the room.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, a little worried by that look.

She made a disgusted sound. "How can he even want to be around that guy?"

"Huh? Who?" I was confused.

"Sub-Zero. He's been all buddy-buddy with Scorpion this whole time. I just don't get it."

Well, I didn't either. But it was none of our business, I figured.

"He killed his brother!" she continued. "Did he forget that or what?"

"Oh, I doubt he's forgotten…"

"Then what the hell is he thinking?"

"We're still talking about Sub-Zero, right?"

"Johnny!"

"I'm sorry! I guess I just don't care that much about it."

Sonya's eyes still glowered at the door that Sub-Zero left through.

"I have to say something," she declared as she started to step toward the door.

_No!_

I grabbed at her desperately and managed to get a hold of her arm. "C'mon, don't do that! It's none of your business…"

She wrenched her arm free from my grasp and kept on her way.

"Sonya! No! Bad!" I made grabs for her again but she swatted my hands away and stomped out of the room before I could really stop her.

Not that I really tried hard enough. But I didn't want to make her angry either.

"Why!" I shouted after her as I pulled on my hair in distress.

I only hoped my friends wouldn't kill each other. Something told me Sub-Zero's brother was a touchy subject.

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><p><strong>AN: **Sonya's POV next up! She's going to bug the crap out of Sub-Zero, that's for sure. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers~

I'm sorry again for taking so long to update. Much love!


	13. Sonya: Clear as Day

**A/N:** Sonya's up! This is kind of a short chapter. I wish I could be more consistent, lol. Thank you so much to **Subterranean Stepdancer, Nerdette92,** **YoshisSupport**(that would have been awesome hehe),** Zee a, MailxJeevasxFTW, **and** Snivy Terphione. **Your reviews mean a lot to me! Especially that you took the time to do so after I took so long to update. Thank you lurkers, as well~

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

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><p>"Sub-Zero!" I half-jogged, and half-stumbled my way after him in the hallway. I mentally cursed the high-heels I had decided to wear earlier today when I thought they were cute. "Wait up. I need to talk to you."<p>

He turned and stopped in his tracks, patiently waiting for me to catch up. The hallway itself was long and wide, with several stony pillars to hold up the ceiling above us. I never imagined I'd ever set foot inside a castle, and I almost wished my parents were here to see it. And my brother…

A strand of hair fell over my eyes and I blew it off my face with a puff of breath. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I said as I stopped in front of him.

If I was expecting a stronger reaction—I was sadly disappointed. The ninja merely arched an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" he replied coolly.

I didn't care what Johnny said. This whole thing with Scorpion was aggravating me. And I couldn't understand how Sub-Zero could forgive his brother's killer so easily.

"You know what I mean." I folded my arms over my chest. "How can you be friends with that guy?"

For a moment I thought he was going to ask me which guy. But he knew by now who I could and couldn't stand. I've always been an upfront kind of person.

"Tentative," he answered.

_Huh? _I blinked dumbly. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"We're tentative friends." He smirked. "Nothing's set in stone."

"I'm being serious here. You're the only one that seems to want the guy around and you have the least amount of reason to."

"But I have reasons."

"Okay. Then I'd like to hear them."

Sub-Zero closed his eyes. "I don't have time for this, Sonya."

Ass. He wasn't getting off so easy. "Uh, time is all we have here."

He opened his eyes, and this time they were full of anger. "It doesn't concern you."

"Bullshit it doesn't." If Scorpion sold us out or decided to murder us all in our sleep then it _greatly _concerned me. "He shouldn't even be here."

"Your boyfriend seems to disagree."

I felt my face turn red. Johnny wasn't my boyfriend. I mean we—maybe someday we could—that didn't mean— "He's _not _my boyfriend!"

Sub-Zero's blue eyes were icy cold. "Bullshit."

"We're not talking about him," I snapped.

"You pretend to be such an honest person, but you hide your true emotions more than the others," he said, his tone was filled with venom. I hadn't thought this conversation was going to be so hard.

"That's not true! You want me to be honest?" I had no problem with that. Not at all. "Fine. I like Johnny. A lot. He's a good guy. He can be obnoxious at times, but he didn't kill someone in my family."

Sub-Zero growled. "I'm not going to talk about that. Let me be honest with _you_, woman. As far as I can tell you seem to be the only one who has any real problem with Scorpion. He's a man of honor, who's lost just as much – if not more – than any of us. I see nothing wrong with trying to help him. He's been dead for a long time…"

"He killed your brother!" I blurted. Didn't that mean anything?

"Yes. And my brother killed him first."

"Oh, so that makes it okay then?"

"No, of course not."

"Then help me understand. Why aren't you ripping his throat out? Snapping his neck? I don't get it!"

Sub-Zero let out an exasperated sigh. "You'll never understand. But believe me, months ago nothing would have made me happier."

"So what changed it? Just because he made a vow to protect you? I'm sure if he had to kill you to get his family back he wouldn't hesitate."

"He would never hurt me."

I shook my head. "I don't believe it. And by the way, it puts all of us in danger having him here."

"I don't see how," Sub-Zero snorted. "He doesn't care enough about any of you to hurt you."

"Well, isn't that reassuring."

"He has a bad reputation, to be certain. But he's not a monster."

I rolled my eyes. "Tell that to his victims right before they died."

"I'm a killer, too," he reminded me. "We all are."

"That's different."

"It's not," he insisted. "I killed for money not even a year ago. In actuality the Shirai Ryu had more honor and loyalty than the Lin Kuei did. I was just blind to it."

I didn't want to think about that too closely. Sub-Zero seemed like such a respectable guy to me. "I wonder what your brother would think of you now."

Sub-Zero's face darkened, and for a second I thought he might punch me or something. I could feel he wanted to.

Instead he turned his back on me. "It doesn't matter. He's dead."

He started to walk away but I easily did a flip over him, blocking his path. I met his eyes slowly. "I lost a brother, too."

Sub-Zero regarded me silently, and when he spoke again his tone was gentler. "I'm sorry for your loss. But Scorpion is no Kano."

My throat tightened and I had to look away for a second. "Someday I hope I get the same opportunity for vengeance that you had."

"Maybe someday you will."

I looked at him. I didn't mean to get so angry. But I thought Sub-Zero was being stupid. "I just don't see this ending well."

"Lord Raiden seemed to think it was a good idea to have Scorpion on our side."

"But is he really on _our _side? Or his? Or just yours?"

Sub-Zero smiled sadly and shrugged. "I know you don't understand, but I can't explain it. I do enjoy Scorpion's company – most of the time – but it's more than that. We're connected somehow. Maybe it's just our fate to have our lives so interlocked, but either way we're connected. And I don't see that changing any time soon."

A sudden idea popped into my head. Something I hadn't thought about before.

The way Sub-Zero talked about Scorpion… The way he looked at him…

I could feel the corners of my mouth curl into a sly smile. Sub-Zero looked at me quizzically.

"What?" he asked. I had to laugh. He looked so cute when he was confused.

He stared at me suspiciously and started to lean away. I didn't want to tell him about what I was thinking. That would just get him all riled up again.

"It's nothing," I said. "Listen, I know I probably pissed you off before, but I haven't changed my mind."

"About Scorpion?"

I nodded.

Sub-Zero shrugged again. "I'm sure if you stay out of his way, he'll stay out of yours."

"You never really gave me an answer," I pointed out. "What changed your mind about him?"

He thought about it. "I'm not completely sure, really. I suppose I could see some of myself in him. He was never truly evil. And he didn't deserve what Quan Chi did to him."

"You feel sorry for him, don't you?" I already knew it was more than that.

"No, no! Not at all!" He flailed his arms about in denial. "Don't let him hear you say that."

I laughed again. "All right."

A couple of servants passed us by, glancing at us nervously, and I did my best to appear friendly.

"Are we done here?" Sub-Zero looked a little put-out.

"Yeah," I replied, still grinning. I did feel better. But I wouldn't be chatting it up with Scorpion any time in the near future. He still gave me the creeps. I just couldn't trust him. And I always follow my instincts.

Sub-Zero returned my smile and began walking down the hallway again. I watched him leave; he left me with a lot to think about.

"Should I come to you for advice in other aspects of my life?" he called over his shoulder, keeping his stride. "Perhaps I'll come to you in the mornings to make sure I'm dressed properly. Or so you can condone my choice of breakfast."

Ah! That jerk!

"I condone nothing!" I yelled after him.

I could hear him chuckle and after he was gone I continued to stand there for a while. There were so many thoughts tumbling around in my head. I didn't know how to feel about most of them. Thinking about my brother made me sad, too. I hated it.

What I really needed was some time to myself. I really liked Johnny, but I didn't feel like being with him right now. And if I went back to my room I might not be alone there either. Kitana had the brilliant idea to bunk me in with Jade, so I'd have a familiar face, and so I wouldn't be stuck with the boys.

I guess she couldn't know that I was used to that. I was one of the few female soldiers in my unit.

Finally I decided on the best place to sit and be alone with my thoughts. Some place I knew the others would never think to look.

I sighed tiredly as I made my way toward the castle's library.

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, that could have been a lot worse, I guess. Sub-Zero's turn again next chap! Thank you for reading. :)


	14. SubZero: Brothers

**A/N:** Sub-Zero has a little chat with an angsty Smoke. Yay. Thank you for all the awesome reviews! I hope you like~

and thank you to **Snivy Terphione** for telling me about some hilarious MK vidoes on YouTube by DashieXP that you should all check out - warnings for adult humor and language in there. :)

**Rated: M**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p>I had woken up to find myself in a very good mood this morning, and I intended to hold on to that feeling no matter what.<p>

_No matter what_, I thought as I felt an eye-twitch coming on. So far, everything happening to me today seemed to be against me. From Scorpion refusing to cooperate with his clothes; to Kitana announcing she'd make us lords—something I did not want; to Sonya pecking at me about my friendship with Scorpion.

I understood her concerns, but she didn't even try to get to know the man. Circumstances were different than what was previously thought and I couldn't make her see.

Quan Chi and the Lin Kuei were responsible for everything. And they would pay.

_No! Those are angry thoughts… Happy, think happy…_

I turned the corner after my little chat with Sonya and finally reached the spiraling stairs that led up to a floor of bedchambers. I was hoping to find Scorpion in his room. He seemed a little more than ticked off especially after Cage had teased him. I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't take it out on any servants today, and to check if he changed his bandages.

I'd only just placed my foot on the first step when a grey mist appeared before me, a few steps above, and began to darken and form the shape of a man. I sighed.

A familiar voice spoke out from the haze. "Well, that was certainly entertaining."

"Come to lecture me, as well?" I asked my friend.

"No, I don't particularly have a problem with the Shirai Ryu." Smoke finished becoming solid and moved down the steps to stand beside me in the hallway. "Other than he's a Shirai Ryu…"

"The last one," I reminded.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Be that as it may, I actually wanted to talk to you about something else…"

"What?"

Smoke shifted nervously. "Can we talk somewhere…? Here, let's go outside."

I reluctantly followed him until we reached the courtyard in the back of the castle. Though, it was more like a huge balcony overlooking the open land beyond. There were stone benches along the curved railing, and in the middle of the courtyard stood a large, ornate statue of some Edenian King long dead. The whole place was decorated with various flowering plants and trees, and while nothing compared to the castle's gardens, it was still very beautiful.

Smoke sat down on one of the benches and I followed his example. I was silently hoping this wouldn't take too long. But he did say that it wasn't about Scorpion, so there was that.

I was surprised to find that Smoke looked anxious. "Do you remember back in Outworld, when we were staying with Bo' Rai Cho?" he asked after a brief silence.

"Well, yeah. It wasn't that long ago…"

"When I tried to talk to you? About what Raiden told me?"

I had to rack my brain for a moment, but then the memory finally came back of us in the garden.

"As I recall," I started sharply. "You _didn't_ want to talk about it."

"I tried," he snapped. "But I lost my nerve. It didn't feel like an appropriate time."

"And now?"

Smoke frowned. "Who pissed in your coffee this morning? If you don't want to talk just say so. Crazy of me to think my best friend would have the time to—"

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, and I meant it. Dammit, Sonya. "I was just in a hurry before. I wish I had some, though."

I tried to relax and give my friend my full attention. He deserved that at least.

"Some what?" Smoke asked, confused.

"Coffee," I lamented wistfully. The Edenians had no concept of such a drink.

Smoke laughed and I knew he'd forgiven me of my rudeness. He also knew that I wasn't much of a coffee drinker.

"Mhm," he said. "Anyway, I was nervous to tell you before, because I wasn't sure how you would react."

Uh-oh. I didn't like that.

"You know you mean a lot to me," he continued. "And I trust you more than anyone."

I gave him a small smile. "As you have my trust."

There was no one else I knew who I trusted more. It wasn't always a wise thing to do in the Lin Kuei, but Smoke had proven himself a loyal friend. More times than I could count.

He looked away and sighed. "I'm glad of it."

I waited while he looked lost in thought. Finally I said, "It was something Raiden told you. Something horrible and life-altering I take it?"

Smoke nodded. "I'm hoping it's not too horrible. Although I must admit I might have been in shock there for a while. I'm dealing with it."

"What is it?" I asked. He was making _me_ nervous.

"I approached Raiden to find out about my past. You know I can't remember anything of my childhood, and I thought maybe he could find out. Or help me remember." Smoke still wouldn't look at me. "That was my mistake. I should have left it alone... I'm an Enenra, Sub-Zero."

I stiffened slightly in dread. It felt like something was twisting my throat. I had heard of Enenra's before. Demon entities born of slain mortals come back to avenge themselves, and wreak havoc in their misery. Looking at my friend I couldn't believe it.

But I knew it was true. Enenra's were creatures of smoke and vapor. This explained a lot.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling terrible for my friend. "How…?"

"I was taken from my family when I was a boy," he said quietly. We had that in common then. "By some cult that…sacrificed children to their demon-god. They burned me alive. I died. And I came back as a demon myself."

I didn't know what to say.

His dark eyes glittered. "I killed them all. Then after, my memory was lost to me."

"But you have it back now," I said weakly.

"Yes," he hissed. "Some good it's done me. Now I know that I'm a monster—an unnatural killer."

I wanted to remind him that he was among a fine group of killers. But I knew that wouldn't help. He wasn't human after all. At least not anymore. It was a lot to take in, and I wondered how he slept at night keeping this all inside.

"You're not a monster," I insisted. "You were just…reincarnated into something else."

"My name was Tomas Vrbada," he said sadly. "I was born in Prague."

I was shocked all over again. I wanted to tell him that it was a blessing to know his past, no matter how painful. I didn't even know where I was born, even if I knew my true name. Bi-Han had made sure I knew that much. I remembered that my brother was often frustrated that he couldn't recall more of our past. And then eventually, he didn't care to talk of it anymore. I had convinced myself that we were orphans, and that there was nothing to remember.

I turned to Smoke. "What will you do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to hurt anybody. Anybody that doesn't deserve it. I'm afraid I won't be able to control this demon inside me. Sometimes I feel a strange urgency…something calling me to let the darkness take over."

I shuddered. This reminded me too much of my brother. His darkness overcame him and there was nothing of him left. And Scorpion, who received a second chance like Smoke.

"But you've controlled it fine all these years…" I said stubbornly.

"But I didn't know about it before," he retorted. "What if I awakened something now?"

"No." I shook my head. "I don't believe it. You're stronger than that. You've always controlled your powers beautifully."

He didn't look convinced.

"And you've already had your revenge on those horrendous people," I persisted. "Why would the demon need to awaken now?" I felt a panic that he would leave, or hurt himself, and that I would never see him again. "I've already lost one brother."

Smoke finally looked at me. "I'm not your brother."

_Yes you are_, I thought desperately.

"Tomas." I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't mind the use of his real name. But that was who he was. His true self had nothing to do with the demon. "You're more of a brother to me than Bi-Han ever was."

And it was true. As much as it hurt me to admit. Bi-Han and I were close, but there was something distant about him, something I could never reach. When I first met Smoke, I was surprised at how easily we got along—how much we thought alike. I even looked up to him, wishing I could be as outgoing as he was.

I could see a small spark of the Smoke I knew return in his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Of course," I replied without hesitation.

He looked away again, smiling a bit. "Thank you. I know it must be hard to say his name."

I blinked in surprise. But he was right. I hadn't said my brother's name out loud in a long while.

"Thank you," he said again. "I don't want the others to know… Not yet."

"I won't tell anyone," I promised. Then more playfully, "Tomas."

Smoke laughed. "_Please_ don't tell anyone." He stood up. "You can call me that if you like."

I shrugged. "Well, you know my name. It's only fair, I guess."

He was smiling, but his eyes were still sad to me. "Ready for the party tomorrow?"

I was grateful for the subject change, even though my emotions were still in knots inside my head. "I'll be happier for the party than for the knighting."

"It's not a knighting it's a lord…ing."

"Whatever."

"We should've been made knights," he said. "That suits us better."

"Yes," I agreed whole-heartedly. I only hoped the ceremony for us wasn't too embarrassing.

It made me sad that an awkward silence passed between us.

"Well, we'll talk more about it later," he said and excused himself. I watched him go with regret. There was something unresolved here.

_I hope he comes to peace with this other side of him soon_. And I couldn't think of him as an Enenra. That wasn't him, but where his powers stemmed from. Yes.

I sat there for a while, cursing Raiden. He changes our lives forever and then leaves. Hopefully he came back soon, with some good news this time.

Completely and emotionally exhausted, I finally hauled my ass off of the bench and returned to my mission of finding Scorpion.

* * *

><p>I knocked on Scorpion's door for a moment, before deciding to barge in like he always does to me.<p>

I entered the room and glanced around quickly, finding him in front of the mirror in the corner.

"There you are," I said relieved. "I've had a pretty weird day so please don't tell me that you have anything to nag me about or that you're really Quan Chi in disguise—"

...

"—WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"

I watched in shock as long tendrils of black hair fell to the floor around his feet.

Scorpion's eyes met mine in the mirror. He turned and held out the scissors to me.

"Good. Help me cut my hair."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Poor Smoke. Poor Sub-Zero. They're angsty little pincushions. Next chap, it's time to party!

I would like to thank my reviewers, I know I'm always corny like that but you guys are awesome. And I appreciate it every time. I know I'm not the best writer out there but I'm still learning and growing. I feel like my style changes a lot, lol. And I try to stay in continuity with my own story...so sad, ha. Thank you for the encouragement to continue.

**BlackTwilight909: **Thank you! You're too kind!

**JuniorMints: **That's one of the best compliment I've ever gotten, I think. Thank you so much! I hope to read something of yours someday. Nice name ;)


	15. SubZero: Foolish

**A/N: **Thank you, reviewers! You guys rock and make me want to write better for your reading pleasure, lol. I would like to say about the last chapter that it was amusing to find that some of you preferred Scorpion with long hair, and others that he have short... Thank you for the feedback! And some of you thought that Smoke was going to declare his love to Sub-Zero...well, it's platonic right now but you never know ;) Haha, and poor Sub-Zero really isn't experienced (emotionally) enough to handle romantic feelings...but the poor guy is learning. And I know the story is slow going, but I don't want to rush anything...

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thank yous!

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

><p>"I don't like this," I said bitterly. The seamstress only hushed me and continued taking measurements for her final alterations.<p>

Master Rong insisted we all have new garments made especially for us…for the celebrations today. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach; I did not like being the center of attention.

Needless to say, I was in a bad mood this morning.

And just thinking about yesterday's events gave me a migraine. I couldn't really decide what the worst part of it all had been between Sonya, Smoke, and Scorpion—they'd all left me emotionally drained.

_Smoke…_ At the very least he seemed to be handling it well. I decided I would start keeping a closer eye on him, though.

"Arms out," the seamstress ordered. I raised my arms like a fool while she put some pins to mark where to make adjustments. I didn't even bother to learn her name. I glared daggers at her while she worked, blaming her for making me wear this.

The woman had made me a dark red tunic that tapered around my waist and fit tightly across my shoulders and chest. She'd said she would fix it, but by the way she was marking the pins it felt like she was making it tighter.

There was gold threading around the collar woven into an intricate pattern. I felt ridiculous, like a prince from some child's fairy-tale. Thank the Gods I didn't have puffy sleeves. The black pants were tight enough.

"Red really brings out your blue eyes, m'lord," said the seamstress.

"No, _blue _brings out my blue eyes," I complained.

…_What the hell am I saying? _But I couldn't think of anything manly to say to save face and the woman laughed at me.

I gritted my teeth throughout the rest of the fitting, reminding myself that I was mostly doing this for Kitana's sake.

* * *

><p>After the seamstress left me I sat alone for a while in my room, staring blankly at a wall, resting my chin in my hand.<p>

Today was going to be daunting I knew, but my thoughts couldn't focus on anything other than that stupid haircut. And now that I had nothing to do but wait, my mind kept going back to last night, when I helped Scorpion cut his hair.

I didn't know anything about cutting hair, but I tried my best. And Scorpion didn't seem to mind. I thought I left it a bit too uneven and shaggy, but he told me he could easily style it.

It wasn't the most fun experience ever, and I had to roll my eyes at Scorpion for having felt the need to cut his hair at all—although now it was much easier to see his face. And that was part of the problem.

He was handsome.

I blushed all over again remembering how mortified I was to realize that I was attracted to him. I was standing behind him - scissors in one hand, my other hand in his hair - when it hit me. I was blushing then, too.

If Scorpion saw it he didn't say anything.

And of course I noticed from the beginning that he was attractive; anyone could see that right away. But I never really…_noticed _before. I had no idea why it hit me now.

I shouldn't be feeling this way. I've never even looked at another man that way before. The implications of this were troublesome. I've only ever been with women—whom I am very much attracted to, but I never felt so flustered around them as I had been with Scorpion.

_Does that mean…that I'm gay? _The thought made me frown. I didn't care what people did in their personal lives, but I never considered myself…

I let out a weary sigh. _It must be because I've been spending so much time with him lately. That has to be it. It's natural for people to develop meaningless fancies, isn't it?_

This was so emasculating. I wasn't a little girl. This wasn't a crush.

Was it?

But, if it was only because we were spending a lot of our time together… Why hadn't I developed these…feelings…for Smoke? We'd spent years together, and I couldn't think of him that way at all.

_He's like a brother, _I told myself. _That's why. But he's good-looking, too. So why didn't you think of him as something else a long time ago? _Logically, he'd be a much better choice.

I shook my head and rubbed my face with my hands. I couldn't believe the things I was thinking.

Maybe I was just tired.

Maybe I was freaking out about Scorpion because cutting his hair was the most I'd ever been in his personal space; touching him – not intimately – but personal enough.

But then I thought about how often I had touched him, since he joined our group…and I winced. Looking back it seemed as though I was always finding a reason to lay a hand on him. And not always with a violent intention. I didn't even realize.

I tried thinking of my other male companions in that way. None of them appealed to me in the slightest.

I even imagined briefly what it would be like to be with Johnny Cage, who seemed to be the most friendly of the bunch. _No! Just, no…. A WORLD of no._

With a disgusted shudder, I slouched down in my chair feeling miserable. It dawned on me that I had no one to talk to about this. What would I say?

I decided that this was a fleeting reaction to feeling lonely, and that I had attached myself to the nearest person.

And then I thought of Jade, who practically threw herself at me. Maybe if I accepted her advances I would get over it soon… Really, what was so wrong with me that I denied her?

And I needed to stop feeling lonely. Relationships were discouraged in the Lin Kuei, but I never felt a particular need for one anyway. Though, sometimes, I admit I would feel a longing for something… Probably a different life. _Hm._

Sometime later The Seamstress returned with my finished clothes, and a gaggle of her giggling apprentice girls. It was almost time for Kitana's coronation, and then after our own little ceremony for when she knighted us, or whatever. I didn't want it.

While the women flittered around me and helped me to get ready, I forced myself to shut up and be happy for Kitana. And grateful. I supposed I owed her a lot.

* * *

><p>I headed straight for the wine table.<p>

The party had just begun and everyone was full of excited energy.

Hours ago, Princess Kitana became Queen Kitana, and there was great cause for celebration.

Her crowning was magnificent and she was as regal and lovely as ever. But I felt stupid having to stand up in front of hundreds of people as she granted me a lordship and titles and blah, blah… I barely heard it over the sound of blood rushing to my head.

I guess it wasn't so bad. It went by faster than I thought, and there were no incidents other than some of us had to force Kung Lao to take off his bladed hat, because the other nobles were of the opinion that it was not appropriate at such a time.

We all received silver chains as symbols of our own nobility. At least it wasn't a sash.

Immediately after, everyone was herded into the giant feasting room that had been converted into a ballroom for this occasion.

Now I stood hovering over various crystal and pewter goblets as the musicians began to play a loud and upbeat song. The female singer was great.

A servant was busy filling all the goblets with wine and Edenia's strange rum, while I snatched a crystal goblet for myself before the crowding started around the table.

I'd picked one filled with wine. I knew I'd have many more before the night was done.

People started dancing in the center floor and I felt the urge to run away and hide.

Speaking of hiding, I saw no traces of Scorpion anywhere. I looked across the sea of people but couldn't find him. That was good, though. I might have avoided him anyway.

_He got out while he still could, _I thought solemnly. _Smart man._

My stomach growled so I made my way to the food tables.

* * *

><p>Three hours had passed and I wasn't quite drunk enough to deal with my friends. And not just them, but everyone else was becoming loud and rambunctious, as well. I was only mildly buzzed, and extremely amused by what was going on around me.<p>

Jax had made a game of seeing how high he could lift the Edenian women—no matter the size. Kung Lao and Liu Kang joined in as best they could, but Liu was seen mostly at Kitana's side as she was praised and congratulated and given several gifts. Johnny and Sonya were mostly on the dance floor if they weren't drinking, and for some reason I caught Sonya giving me odd looks more times than I liked.

And the dancing… wasn't so bad. I allowed Jade to drag me out a few times. And I would dance with my friends for the occasional group song.

And Smoke, well… I hadn't fully comprehended how popular he was with the women here until now. He hardly had time to talk to me at all. Many wanted his attention. I had to laugh.

I caught the eye of various women in the castle too, but I politely declined any offers of dance or…something else.

It helped to stay by Jade's side in this matter. The other women dared not approach me then. And I found she was pleasant company, though she wasn't as interested as she once had been.

Jade and I were walking back to the wine table when Smoke drunkenly came up to us, his arm draped around the shoulders of a pretty young maid.

He pointed at me. "That's my brother!" he announced proudly. "The one I was telling you about."

The girl gave me a shy smile and a slight bow to both Jade and I. "My lord… My lady."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't like the title.

"He's my best brother in the whole of— in ever all the realms," Smoke said. I had to wonder if he had his arm slung around the girl out of possessiveness or because she was holding him up.

"Yes," I said. "He's not wrong…"

The girl giggled and Smoke placed a gentle hand over the front of my face. Such a good brother he didn't care if I could see or breathe it seemed.

"You be good," he slurred, quite serious. "Have fun. You need some, little brother."

I laughed and put my hand over _his_ face, giving him a good hard shove. "Get away from me, you drunkard!"

Smoke staggered backwards but the girl helped him regain balance. Then a song started that she appeared to enjoy and she pulled him away, laughing.

When I turned back to Jade, I jumped, because Sonya was with her suddenly and whispering things in her ear. Jade whispered something back and nodded. They both looked at me and grinned.

_Whyyyy…_

"Sub-Zero, come here a moment," Jade cooed. Sonya nodded and beckoned me closer.

I turned and sprinted away as fast I could.

Whatever they wanted I figured it was something I wouldn't like.

They chased me over tables and around crowds of partygoers for a long – terrifying – time.

* * *

><p>The partying was winding down.<p>

I couldn't say what time it was now, because the Edenians didn't have watches. But it was well into the night, and things were getting a bit quieter. Even the musicians were rotating slower-paced songs more frequently. Still didn't stop anyone from drinking and dancing, though.

A few more hours had to have gone by since Sonya and Jade gave up the chase. I had to give them credit though; running in those heels was pretty impressive.

I never found out what they wanted from me, but I'd probably find out later. Hopefully they would forget. Most likely I would forget in my current state.

I'd lost count of how much rum and wine I'd consumed, and my cheeks felt flushed and tingly, and my arms felt detached from my body. I felt like floating.

I swayed back over to the drinks' table and grabbed another goblet of wine.

What I really wanted was some fresh air, so I took my drink with me and somehow made my way out into the courtyard.

Leaving the stuffy palace and stepping into the cool night air felt amazing. And today wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I had made it worse in my head.

Someone was already out there, sitting on one of the stone benches. As I got closer I saw that it was Scorpion.

A part of me wanted to run away again. But I missed him today.

He was looking out over the star-filled sky, and didn't say anything as he scooted over so I could sit next to him. I noticed he was drinking from a crystal goblet too, and it made me disproportionately happy to see that we had the same taste. At least I always thought wine tasted better from a glass.

Then I noticed quite a large number of empty crystal goblets strewn around the ground by his feet.

I raised an eyebrow. "Been here long?"

Scorpion nodded, his eyes were a bit glazed. "I kept walking back and forth to get more…before I realized I could just take this." He reached behind him and brought up a whole flagon of wine.

Huh. "I don't think we were supposed to take those…"

He shrugged and filled up my glass for me. When had I held it out to him? My brain felt so clouded…

Scorpion was dressed in a plain enough green tunic. And I envied it over my more embellished shirt. He had a black cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

I tugged on it, the wine making me brave. "Where did you get this?"

"I dunno. Just saw it and put it on. It's cold out here," he explained.

"Is it? I don't feel cold at all—Oh."

He chuckled at me and I had to turn away to hide my blush. Even when I wasn't drunk I sometimes forgot that the cold affected me differently from everyone else.

I had to be careful how I acted around him now. I couldn't let him know. He might literally try to kill me.

Which reminded me…

"Are you still going to 'protect' me when we get back to Earthrealm?" I felt like I'd asked this question a million times before, but he never ever gave me a straight answer.

Maybe it was easier to think about when he was dead.

Before he could answer, I blurted, "I'm glad you're not dead."

The corner of Scorpion's mouth quirked up. "So am I. Thank you."

Dammit. He was ignoring my question again.

He finished off his cup and poured himself another.

I gestured to all the goblets on the ground. "I think you may have a problem."

"I think your cup is empty again," he said, pointing at mine. Dammit.

I held out my goblet for him to refill again, but he moved the flagon away. "Get your own problem," he smirked.

"I hate you," I pouted.

Scorpion chuckled again and still didn't give me any wine. It got quiet, but I enjoyed our silent moments together, too. And I took the time to study his face…his haircut. It looked good.

There was a tuft of hair sticking out on the side of his head and I reached out to smooth it down. He simply sat there and let me, until I was satisfied.

On the inside I was screaming at myself to stop and to keep my hands to myself. But I couldn't seem to stop my body. I blamed the wine and not the strength of my will.

I could feel the heat creep along and spread across my face again.

Scorpion stretched out a long leg and accidentally kicked one of the goblets on the floor—effectively knocking it over and shattering it into a million pieces. The soft sound it made when it broke was almost musical.

"Okay," I said. "Someone's had enough." I deftly plucked the still half-full goblet from his hand and quickly placed it next to me on the ground and out of his reach.

He didn't protest, but now he was staring at me.

"If you don't want me to," he said slowly. "I won't follow you in Earthrealm. I'll leave you be."

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat and thought about it. I didn't like the idea of someone watching over me like a hawk. But the thought of not seeing him anymore made me sad.

"How come?" I asked.

"I know you don't really need me," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't want to interfere in whatever path you take." He knew I couldn't go back to the Lin Kuei. I'd have to start a new life for myself.

My chest ached.

"Well, what will you do?"

"Besides hunting down Quan Chi?"

I nodded.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I still haven't figured out where I'm going to start with that. I might go back to Japan but…"

_But he has no reason to, _I thought. I wanted to reach out to him again, but I stopped myself. I wasn't some lovesick kid.

I sat up a little straighter. "You know, I think I'd like to take a shot at Quan Chi, as well."

Scorpion snorted. "He's mine to kill."

Fair enough. "I could help you. Find him, I mean."

He hummed in thought. "Maybe."

"We'll see," I added.

"All right," he agreed, and I smiled. And to my surprise he returned my smile with one of his own.

It wasn't often that I saw a real smile from the man. It gave me that longing feeling again. I resisted the urge to make fun of the fact that he had dimples.

_I need another drink._

I stood up and pulled on the bottom of my tunic, straightening it. "I'm going to get some more drinks."

Scorpion hastily stumbled to his feet. "I'll join you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **some peoples are gonna be so hungover..._


	16. SubZero: Crush be Damned

**A/N: **So sorry for the long absence! I hope a long chapter makes up for it. Thank you, my wonderful reviewers! I appreciate it. And to all those who newly favorited or followed, thank you! I got so many for the last chapter, it was great motivation. And a special thanks to **FenceDaTanks**, you were my 100th reviewer~ I feel like I should gift you something, haha. I hope everyone enjoy's this chapter. I will try harder to update faster!

**Rated: M**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>A warm ray of sunlight fell across my eyes, waking me up and causing me pain simultaneously.<p>

I scrunched my eyes closed tighter, and tried to burrow my face deeper into my pillow. But there was no escaping the sun. I should have closed the curtains before I went to sleep.

I groaned as I remembered how much I drank the night before. It felt like I had cotton in my mouth. My stomach was upset. And just now my head was beginning to pound, right between the eyes.

I refused to open my eyes, but I could tell I was in my own bed, and still wearing the clothes I wore at the party. _Just a little longer, sun. I'll get up soon—if my head doesn't explode first._

I was lying curled up on my left side, and I must have been sleeping like that for a while because my ribs were beginning to ache. As soon as I tried to roll onto my back it was met with something solid and bulky. I didn't have enough room to lay flat, because I was already right on the edge. _Grrrr… What?_

I tried a few more times, but something was in the way and wouldn't move. All I wanted to do was lie down. My brain was too sleep-addled and too hungover to process what was happening.

I reached back with my leg to find sure-footing on the offending, lumpy thing. Satisfied, I bent my leg bringing it forward again, and shot it back swiftly in a hard kick—shoving whatever was on my bed onto the floor.

It made an alarmingly loud thud. Even the furniture shook and I heard a few things fall off the end table.

"Can't be good," I murmured.

Resigned, I carefully rolled over onto my stomach – now on a perfectly spacious bed – and half-dragged my body to the opposite edge where the thing had fallen. I opened my eyes a crack, and peered over the side of the bed.

Scorpion was lying flat on his back with his hands over his face.

"My head…" he groaned.

The first thought I had was, _Oops. _

Then, _Scorpion was in my bed…_

Then, I forgot how to breathe.

I immediately tried to rack my brain for an explanation as to why he was here, but I came up with nothing. The last thing I remembered was having a chugging contest with Jax and Scorpion. I couldn't even remember who won. Not important!

The Shirai Ryu sat up slowly and I lay there, frozen in place. At least we were both still clothed, and I didn't feel as though anything had happened…

I couldn't help the blush that swept over my face, though.

"What are you doing here?" Scorpion asked when he finally spotted me.

"Me?" I said much too loudly. We both winced, and I whispered, "Me? This is my bedchamber."

I quickly glanced around to make sure. Yes, it was mine.

He groggily looked at his surroundings and comprehension flickered across his face. "Oh."

"Yes," I hissed. "Now, get out." I couldn't let him know. I couldn't let him see how he affected me.

He grabbed a corner of the bed and pushed himself up to a standing position. "How did I get in here?"

I looked up at him. "How should I know? I don't remember anything."

"Neither do I," he said defensively. "But I thought I was— I mean I thought that it was…somewhere else."

I blinked at him in confusion. He looked disappointed somehow.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

Scorpion nodded and began to look about him as if searching for something. "Where is my cape?"

"Cape?" I snorted. "You mean your cloak?" I just now noticed that he wasn't wearing it.

"Cloak. Cape. Whatever."

While he moved about my room looking for it, I moved into a more comfortable position on the bed and gingerly laid my head back down on a pillow. The stupid sun was still determined to shine right on my eyes, and as time passed it was slowly spreading across the bed.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could, as a sudden thought hit me. "Does your side hurt?" I thought maybe he'd hurt it when he fell.

Scorpion paused in his search to look at me. "I'm fine."

"I've heard that one before," I returned flatly.

He ignored me and continued to look for his cloak.

I knew his stab wound was mostly healed, but the impact with the floor must have caused him _some_ pain. I briefly thought of how my own recent injuries scarred over nicely, but the pain in my thigh had taken the longest to go away.

I didn't want to be the cause of any of his pain. Unless he made me angry…then…well…

"Found it," Scorpion announced.

"Good," I sighed. "Get out."

"You're always kicking me out of your room," he muttered, complaining.

"Then stop coming into my room," I mumbled into my pillow; I had to hide my face to shield my grin from his view. I heard his footsteps cross the room to the door and I stopped him. "Wait! Close the curtains first..."

"No," he said. "It's your room. You close them."

"Please," I said, swallowing my pride. "I can hardly move…"

He was quiet for so long that I had to lean up on an elbow and open my eyes to see if he had just up and left.

Scorpion took that opportunity to throw the cloak at me. The thick fabric smacked into my face, enveloping my arms as I tried to untangle myself.

"Bastard!" I growled.

He merely laughed as I heard him open the door and leave, shutting it quietly behind him.

Grumbling, I settled down in the bed again, still with the cloak wrapped about my head and shoulders. At least it kept the sun out.

_And it still smells faintly of him…_

…

I drifted off again while wondering when I had become so pathetic.

* * *

><p>It was sometime around noon when I finally felt well enough to venture down to the dining hall.<p>

Sonya was sitting there alone when I got there, just finishing a meal it looked like.

I sat down at the table, across from her. "Hello, Sonya."

"Hey," she smiled. She sounded tired but looked otherwise cheerful. "Sleep well?"

More like blacked-out well.

"Yes, I think so," I replied.

A few groggy kitchen servants came to serve me a light breakfast and kindly poured me some tea. I sipped at the tea gratefully, hoping it would settle my stomach.

Sonya was smiling at me coyly. I knew that couldn't be good.

"So…I saw you leave with Scorpion last night."

I froze – no puns intended at all – my body breaking out into a cold sweat. "What?"

"So, really, how was your night?" She gave me a suggestive wink.

And I wanted to die. _Fuck! She knows!_

But how could she know? I never said anything…

I cleared my throat. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sonya. I woke up in my own bed this morning, thank you."

"Without any hot-bodied company?" Her tone was mocking.

"Yes," I lied. Thank the Elder Gods I did not blush. I had enough of that. "We went our separate ways last night. I don't know what's going on in your perverted head."

Sonya looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

She did not look convinced. "I know you have feelings for him!"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because," she spoke softly, and this time it was her turn to blush. "I just noticed the way you are around him. I noticed because I feel the same way about Johnny…"

Ah.

And it was plainly obvious to everyone that Johnny and Sonya had a thing for each other, but had it been so obvious with me? Who else knew?

I started to feel a bit panicked. And Sonya must have seen my expression.

"You _do _like him!" she shouted triumphantly. "I knew it!"

I sighed in surrender. "How long have you known?"

"A little while," she said. "I've had my suspicions."

"Swear to me you won't tell anyone," I pleaded seriously. "It's bad enough that you know."

She didn't say anything for a long moment.

Damn.

I spoke through gritted teeth. "Okay, Sonya. Who did you tell?"

"I told Jade…I'm sorry!"

My eye twitched. "Why?"

"Well, I had to tell someone. She is my roommate, you know. Girls talk."

I gave her a look.

She rolled her eyes. "I know I'm not all that girly, but I don't act like a guy, Sub-Zero….. Stop looking at me like that!"

"Has _she_ told anyone?" I asked anxiously.

"I don't think so. I can tell her not to, if you want."

I put my head in my hands. "Please."

"All right… Sub-Zero, why don't you just tell him—"

"No!" I snapped my head back up and looked at her like she was crazy.

She laughed. "Why not? I definitely think you could do better, but it'd be cute."

I'd never seen Sonya have such romantic notions. I didn't know she had it in her.

"No one else can know," I told her. "Scorpion especially. He barely likes me as it is, can you imagine what he would do to me if he found out?"

"Pledge his undying love to you? He pretty much did that already…"

"Sonya! This isn't a joke. He's straight, remember? He had a wife that he still loves very much."

"Well, you never know." She leaned back in her chair. "I didn't think that you were gay, at first."

I flinched at the word. I didn't think I was either. "I don't know… I never looked at men that way before."

"Maybe you're bi-sexual."

She was handling this better than I was. And secretly I was glad to have someone to talk to about this, no matter how uncomfortable I felt. "It… It doesn't bother you?" I asked.

"Of course not," she smiled at me. She reached out a hand possibly to comfort me, but thought better of it and pulled back. "I think we've been through enough crazy shit that someone's sexuality doesn't really matter."

I guess that was good to know. I cleared my throat. "Honestly, I think whatever this is will go away."

"What, like it's just a crush or something?"

I nodded.

"That's possible," she conceded. "Maybe you should try avoiding him for a while. Just till you get your head clear."

Maybe, but I had a feeling Scorpion wouldn't take that so well…

I decided to change the subject. "And you and Johnny? How was your evening?"

Sonya let out a huff. "I spent the whole night nursing him as he heaved over the toilet or whatever you call that here." Then she blushed. "That doesn't mean I _wanted _something to happen but…"

"Yeah." I got it. Her night sucked.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "How many women have you been with?"

This time I did blush. "Sonya, that's kind of a personal question…"

"Oh, c'mon… We're just two friends talking."

"Only a few," I admitted reluctantly. This was embarrassing. And I was beginning to think that Sonya's grin was pure evil.

"Oooh, did you love any of them?"

"Sonya….they were whores."

She choked on whatever she was about to say and started coughing. "Sub-Zero!"

"What?" It was the truth.

"You can't just say things like that!"

"_You _wanted to know!"

She frowned. "Haven't you ever loved anyone?"

_No, _I thought. At least I didn't think I had. I was fond of my friends. I cared about them—some more than others. _Bi-Han… Smoke…_

I didn't want to think too seriously about what Scorpion meant to me.

"I wasn't allowed to love." I started to play with the food on my plate; no longer feeling like eating. "But I still had certain…urges. And sometimes while away on a mission it wasn't uncommon to bed a whore."

"Well, that's…really sad."

I shrugged. I never thought it was _that _bad. But then, I never really thought about it closely before. My mind was always on the mission. To please the Grandmaster.

My hand curled into a fist.

Kung Lao came into the room then, dragging himself over to where we sat. He wasn't wearing his hat, and his hair was sticking up in different directions.

"How's it going?" he mumbled as he took a seat next to Sonya.

I shot her a stern look, silently warning her not to say anything.

She merely rolled her eyes and took a long sip from her drink.

Kung Lao looked between the two of us. "That bad, huh?"

I managed to give a weak smile. "Just tired."

He nodded in understanding and yawned. "You guys missed Raiden last night."

"WHAT?" Sonya and I exclaimed in unison.

Kung Lao appeared pleased with our reaction and folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, both of you went to bed kind of early—" I snorted. "—and missed the look on his face to see his mighty warriors completely wasted."

I could only imagine.

"What did he say?" I asked. "What happened?"

"Not much," he shrugged. "We weren't all together so he didn't want to explain too much, but I don't think he got a lot of help from the Elder Gods. He looked kind of tired. I guess there's not much of a threat happening right now from the bad guys, so he said something like we might as well go home."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound so sure."

"It's a little foggy," he admitted.

"So we're going home?" Sonya asked hopefully.

Kung Lao smiled big. "Yep! And soon, it sounded like."

While my friends babbled happily about returning to their homes, I sat silent and thoughtful.

I was happy to finally be going home, but I was nervous too. I hadn't made any definite plans on what I would do when I got back. And now I had a whole new set of problems.

I had told Scorpion that I would help him track down Quan Chi. Only now I felt that in order to get rid of this 'crush', I would have to avoid him for the time being. It's what normal people did, right?

If these feelings didn't go away then I didn't know what I was going to do.

I felt extremely pathetic. But now determined.

I would just have to stay away from him.

Smoke suddenly showed up, quietly sitting down beside me, and proceeded to seemingly melt onto the table-top. His eyes were closed as he rested his head against the cool surface. I noticed he was keeping his hair tied back in a low ponytail more often these days.

"Rough night?" I asked with a smirk, momentarily forgetting my own problems.

He nodded once and blinked up at me. "You have no idea."

"I saw you with two different women last night," Kung Lao said to Smoke.

"Three," Sonya chimed in.

Hmm.

Smoke grimaced. "That was the rough part. It would appear that I had promised all of them my uh… 'attention'. But I don't remember doing that. And they found out. And they were mad."

I chuckled. "That really doesn't sound like you."

"I know," he groaned. "It was the alcohol…"

I supposed it had to be. My friend was usually a gentleman with female company. I also supposed he was a little too gentlemanly last night.

"Kung Lao says Lord Raiden came back," I told him.

Smoke sat up. "I know. I saw him briefly."

"Oh."

Sonya and I exchanged a sheepish look.

"Two days," Smoke sighed.

"What?" Sonya asked.

Smoke turned to her. "Raiden said we'd be leaving in two days. The Edenians know how to open a portal to our world."

Two days. My palms became a bit sweaty. That was so soon…

"He wants to talk to all of us before we leave," Smoke continued. "To see who all is staying behind."

My head jerked violently towards him. "What? What do you mean by that?"

He couldn't easily meet my eyes. "I've decided to stay here for a while…"

Sonya looked just as shocked. "What the hell for?"

"I just want to," he shrugged. "Just for a short while. I don't have much to go back home to anyway."

Neither did I, but I had felt better knowing my best friend would be there with me.

"Huh," Kung Lao said. "I wonder who else is staying."

My first thought would have been Liu Kang, if only to stay with Kitana. Kung Lao apparently had the same thought at the exact same moment I did, because he abruptly excused himself and took off running down the hall.

Sonya rubbed her face with her hands. "Well, there's nothing keeping _me_ here."

When I looked at Smoke again, his expression was searching mine for some kind of understanding. But I couldn't bring myself to give him any.

I stood up and excused myself also, not daring to look back at my friend.

As I was leaving the room, I heard Sonya say, "We'll talk later!" But I ignored it.

Perhaps I was acting like a sulking child but I couldn't help it. Things were changing. And it sucked.

_It's not like he said he would stay here forever, _I told myself. _But he could have at least given me a head's up._

I was going to be alone again.

Just at that moment Scorpion walked around a corner at the other end of the hallway from me—so I turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

_Definitely pathetic…_

* * *

><p>Two days passed rather quickly, and the whole castle seemed filled with excited energy. Today we would be going home. Finally home to Earthrealm. I was even happy to be wearing my uniform again, minus the cowl. I decided to discard it. Possibly as a symbol for further separating myself from the Lin Kuei.<p>

But I was exhausted—my last two days having been spent panicked and on edge.

Scorpion was not someone who was easily avoided.

The whole time he would appear behind me or around me without a single sound, but unfortunately for him I was also a trained ninja and managed each time to escape his presence.

I did feel kind of bad, though. Ignoring him without even an explanation.

It wasn't even really working as my thoughts were still mostly focused on him. Only this time focused on keeping him away.

There was a close call the day before, when Scorpion managed to grab onto my wrist, but I had managed to twist out of his grasp quick and shoved him back hard. I would have laughed at his surprised expression as he landed on his ass had I not been so panicked.

I also felt very cowardly running away from him like this. Sonya still thought it was a good idea, but she was so amused by it I was beginning to wonder why I was trusting her judgement.

I sighed as I walked through an unfamiliar part of the castle.

There were rows of windows to my left, and rows of doors to my right. Doors to what I couldn't guess. All I knew was that we were meeting up in a special room reserved for certain Edenian rituals. It was only a portal. Did everything have to be such a big event?

I was reflecting on how I hadn't seen much of my friends the last couple days, how I might not see some of them for a long time or ever again, when one of the doors next to me flew open. A hand shot out and grabbed me by the back of my collar and yanked me inside.

I was completely caught off guard.

The door slammed shut behind me, rattling on its hinges, and my back was roughly smashed against it.

I had a very angry Scorpion looming over me, the front of my uniform now bunched up in his fists. And even considering that there wasn't a huge difference of height between us, it was still pretty intimidating.

Before I even managed to find my voice, Scorpion snarled at me.

"What did I do?" he demanded.

Huh?

"You didn't do anything—" I began, but he cut me off.

"Why? Why have you been running from me? What have I done to you?"

My body was instinctively tense from the sudden attack, but as I looked into his eyes a quiet voice in the back of my mind reminded me that this man would never hurt me. At least I did not believe that he would.

I let my muscles relax slowly, and gently tried to pry his hands off of me. He held on stubbornly and I tried to ignore the look of confusion and hurt in his face.

I felt ashamed. I guess his emotions were even more fragile than I first thought. He probably felt betrayed. The avoiding thing had been a bad idea.

And even now, I could feel my body reacting to his close proximity. To the heat I could feel radiating naturally from his body. I needed a little distance between us before I did something extremely embarrassing.

"Scorpion," I tried again. "You didn't do anything to me. I just wanted to be alone. To think. We're going back to Earthrealm and I had a lot on my mind."

I was lying. Hopefully it was convincing.

"I'm sorry," I added. And I actually meant it.

To my surprise, the other man blushed. He let the fabric of my uniform slip through his hands as he let go, and took a few steps back from me.

Now I was thoroughly confused. But that was quickly forgotten when I saw how miserable he looked. I mentally berated myself. If I had been feeling lonely before, I couldn't imagine what I had put Scorpion through.

I hoped I hadn't ruined my previous efforts in becoming his friend and ally.

Crush be damned, I wanted to help this broken man. I would just have to deal with it.

He was staring at the floor. "If I did anything to offend you, it should be me apologizing."

Well, he could have apologized for throwing my body against a hard surface. But I'd let that go for now.

I was getting good at letting things go.

The silence in the room became awkward. The only thing I could think of to do was turn and open the door.

"It's my fault," I assured him. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Everything was ready. My friends and I stood gathered around as the portal was being opened.<p>

I gathered that of the Earthrealmers, only Liu Kang and Smoke were staying. Raiden was coming with the rest of us, as he was the guardian of Earth anyway.

As everyone started milling around to say their goodbyes, Johnny and Sonya came up to me.

"Sub-Zero!" Sonya said excitedly. "Johnny's got something to ask you."

"What is it?" I addressed the actor.

Johnny was even more excited than Sonya. "I was going to offer you a place to stay with me!"

I felt hope stir in my chest. "Are… Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" he smiled happily. "I was thinking about it and remembered that I have a spare bedroom in my apartment. I mean, assuming I still have an apartment. But you're welcome to stay for as long as you need. I wouldn't mind the company, either."

"I appreciate that, Cage. I wouldn't want to oppose…"

"It's no problem, man. Really."

I smiled. "Then, I accept."

Johnny slapped me on the back. "Great! I gotta go ask Scorpion."

I almost fell over. "Eh?"

"Scorpion," Johnny's tone implied that he really wanted to say 'duh'. "I know he doesn't have a place to stay either. I don't have another room for him, but I figured one of you could sleep on the couch or take turns or something… We'll figure it out!"

The actor walked cheerfully to where the Shirai Ryu stood far apart from the rest of us.

I was watching intently for Scorpion's reactions when Sonya nudged me with her elbow.

"So," she said. "You gonna be okay with that?"

I turned to her, mildy annoyed. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Immensely!" she grinned. "I still think you could choose a better partner, but even I have to admit—he looks damn good in that leather."

I glanced back at Scorpion, even his golden armor had been polished. He did look good.

"I don't like you," I muttered to Sonya.

She laughed and gave me a half-hug. "I'll be visiting. Stay out of trouble. And take care of Johnny. I don't know how he's managed to live alone for so long."

I didn't want to tell her that the actor probably wasn't lacking for company back in Earthrealm.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" I just wanted to be sure.

Sonya gave me a light shove. "Of course not. You think he would be quiet about it? I swear, only Jade knows."

I looked around until I met Jade's eyes. She winked at me.

I sighed with my whole body and Sonya laughed again.

The portal was fully opened now. And after a few more goodbyes – some longer than others, I had to forgive Smoke, after all – it was time.

Raiden stepped forward and looked back at us.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

There was an anxious consensus of nodding heads.

"All right. Let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Yay! They're finally going home! And sorry for any grammar mistakes. The bad thing about long chapters is I get lazy about editing lol. Thank you for reading!_


	17. Scorpion: Reaching

**A/N**: Scorpion's POV omg! But first, Reviewer Dedication time! Because without you guys I am nothing. Especially to **BlackTwilight909** and **Subterranean Stepdancer**, it makes me happy to have loyal fans(is it too pretentious to call reviewers fans?). And to **YoshisSupport,** **Sand Dun, Your Failing Epicness, HyperChrome, WolfNinjaHiruka, Madisonstvr, Zoey H, Lilshady2123, Fanficfan10000,** and **Guest**! I love reading your reviews, thank you so much for taking the time to write them. That was in no specific order btw…I love all of you equally(I'm sure I've missed some). And thank you **Sebastien**, welcome to the story! I hope you're not too disappointed when you catch up and realize I take forever to update haha. This chapter is a long one! I hope you all like it.

**Rated:** M

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. You could even take the OC's if you really wanted to.

* * *

><p>"Hold your fire! I said hold your fire, goddammit!"<p>

Being shot at was not what I had expected upon returning to Earthrealm.

Though, I've had worse homecomings.

We were surrounded by a dozen cop cars, and a SWAT team with itchy trigger fingers. A young man in SWAT gear was apparently in charge and managed to get his men under control before any damage was done.

I had instinctively rushed to stand in front of Sub-Zero when the shooting started, but it appeared that we were all unscathed because the thunder god had been faster and had constructed a protective barrier.

I really miss my powers.

It was a cold night here, and quickly glancing around the area I figured we were in New York. And considering the buildings and roads still under construction about us, I knew it had to be an area that Shao Kahn's monsters had broken through and attacked.

The man they call Jax stepped forward and the SWAT leader moved to meet him.

"Officer Stryker?" asked Jax.

"Yes, sir," replied the younger man. "It's good to see you again, Major Briggs." The two men shook hands. I noticed that Stryker cast a nervous glance at the Major's robotic arms.

I half-turned to look back at Sub-Zero, silently questioning if he knew the other man. He only shrugged, just as lost as I was.

Stryker looked to the rest of us. "You all made it okay?"

"Some stayed behind," answered Raiden. "Can you tell me where we are, officer?"

"Sure. You're in New York. Sorry about the uh…welcome wagon here. There was a lot of lightning flashing and strange activity happening in this area, just like last time. We figured we'd be ready for whatever decided to come through this world. Show 'em how we handle our business."

Tch. No amount of preparing would have stopped Shao Kahn.

"I see," Raiden said approvingly. "Thank you for your hard work."

Stryker rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed like a child. "No problem. Oh! And my partner Kabal is back at the Special Force's HQ with something I think you all should see."

"Special Forces?" The blonde woman put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, my unit's been workin' closely with them. Since we experienced when the shit hit the fan. You're Special Forces too, right?"

"That's right. Lt. Sonya Blade."

He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Blade—"

"Lieutenant."

"—Lieutenant. I know we didn't really get to introduce ourselves last time. Anyway, I have a van that can take you all back to HQ. You're welcome to take back command, Major Briggs. Oh, do you guys know Nightwolf? He's there, too. Seems to know more about this crap than anyone else. Says he participated in the tournament." He glanced at all of us again. "You were all in that tournament, right? Damn, I dunno if I should feel left-out or lucky."

"Both!" The actor – Johnny, I remember – threw up his hands. "Listen, I know there's probably something very important and exciting back at your HQ or whatever. But I'd really like to go home now. And since I live on the opposite end of the country—"

"Hey," Stryker interrupted gruffly. "Don't you think that can wait? You're supposed to be some kind of warrior for Earth, right?"

"Yeah, well, some of us have been fighting longer and harder than others…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Okay!" Sonya broke in, moving to stand between the two men. "Johnny's not really a soldier. Can't you just tell us what information you have now? The rest of us can go back with you, Stryker."

The officer muttered something under his breath, but nodded. "All right. Might not be enough room anyway… So! After the fighting was done, we found a body. She was injured badly and unconscious, but alive."

Jax tensed. "She?"

"Yeah, thanks to Nightwolf we could positively identify her. You all know Sindel?"

* * *

><p>I stood on a darkened street corner with Sub-Zero as Johnny Cage made a phone call from a pay phone. One of the police officers was a fan and gave him some spare change. Stryker pulled some strings to get us plane tickets to Los Angeles.<p>

The Others had gone off with that Stryker, off to his HQ to go look at Sindel and see if anything needed to be done. The monk with the ridiculous hat had kept going on about how Kitana and his monk friend should be told about it.

I zoned out until everyone settled down and Johnny said it was time to go. He had offered me a place to stay back in Edenia and I had accepted. Mostly because I thought it would be convenient to have a place immediately upon return, and because he said Sub-Zero had decided to live with him as well.

I was beginning to regret the decision. It was becoming a hassle already.

The stupid actor didn't even live in New York. He didn't have his cell phone. He needed to call his agent first. And his publicist. And on and on and on…

AND The Others took my weapons and armor, promising to send them to me in LA. Logically I knew I would have never been able to get on the plane with all my gear, but it still pissed me off. They even took my mantle, telling me that it made me stand out too much. They took Sub-Zero's as well, leaving us in our undershirts and pants. I really didn't see how we wouldn't draw attention even now. The actor was still wearing Edenian clothes, anyway.

"Cage!" I shouted. "If you make us miss that flight…"

"Shh!" He held up a hand and hunched over the receiver. "What? No, not you! Yeah, but.. I know, but… Hey! I can explain everything when I get there. I know, I know… Listen, Chuck, just please do this for me. It's the middle of the night, I'm cold, I'm tired, I got two angry ninja assassins behind me… Thank you! No no, I seriously will make it up to you guys! Yeah, yeah, you guys are the best. I'll drop by as soon as we get there. Later!"

He hung up and turned on us with a wide smile. "Okay, got that taken care of."

"Who were you talking to?" I demanded.

"My agent! He's kept my apartment for me this whole time, isn't that awesome? He never thought I was dead for a second. His brother is my friend, too. You'll like 'em."

Fat chance of that.

Sub-Zero had his arms crossed. "We should be leaving now."

"Right!" Johnny started walking and we followed, having no choice but to trust he knew where he was going. "I hope you guys aren't too tired to walk. But don't worry, we have plenty of time. We'll get there in an hour, I think. And you'll have plenty of time to sleep on the plane. It's a six hour flight, haha…"

I knew that already but I still groaned.

Johnny turned up his nose. "Hey, _I'm _the one that should be complaining. I have to be seen with you guys the whole time."

"Excuse me?!"

"You two look like bouncers at a gay nightclub."

He started laughing and for a moment he reminded me of one of my old friends in my village. I almost dismissed the thought, but I remembered that Sub-Zero had advised me to try and be more friendly. It was an absurd idea, but even in the other realm I had tried to make a small effort. Usually, I let The Others do most of the talking if they approached me.

It hurt to think about past friends, and the possibility that I might replace them somehow. It hurt to have hope that I might make new ones.

"You're one to talk, Cage," I rasped out. "You look like an elven princess in that get-up."

He snorted. "This is an acceptable outfit that I'm sure I could make hip and trendy if I chose to…"

"Sure."

"It's not _my _fault middle-aged men can't pull off the sleeveless look."

"Hey!" Sub-Zero cried, indignant.

"I'll admit the sleeveless look is okay in a gym," Johnny continued. "But outside of it you look like you're trying too hard to be sixteen again, trying to get into that hip 1990's rave party."

"High-school flashbacks, Johnny?" Sub-Zero deadpanned and I laughed.

"No! I'm just saying… It looks like I have a couple of S&M bodyguards that probably go home when their shift is done and diddle each other."

Sub-Zero's face turned a curious shade of red. I never thought of him as shy before, but maybe he was more innocent than I thought if he blushed at this kind of talk.

And 'diddle'?

"I'm not going to listen to a guy who has his own name stupidly tattooed across his chest!" I declared.

"It's badass! I was drunk!"

"You're just jealous you don't have arms like _these!_" I flexed my bicep in his face.

Johnny huffed and flexed his own. "My arms are just as big…"

They weren't.

"Well, they can't be smaller than Sub-Zero's…"

They were.

I was almost laughing again. And not in that mirthful way when you watch an enemy die at your feet.

Sub-Zero joined in—once his face returned to its naturally pale tone.

And we continued on like that – comparing our abs, comparing how many flips we could do, how many backflips, how many butterfly kicks – until we reached the airport.

* * *

><p>I happened to get the window seat on the plane. Johnny Cage got the aisle, leaving Sub-Zero with the center seat.<p>

It was a little after three in the morning and the cabin was dimly lit and quiet. Most of the other passengers were sleeping.

Cage sighed happily. "Six more hours and I'll be back home in sunny California."

"How do you know it will be sunny?" Sub-Zero asked. "We didn't even ask Stryker what day it is."

Cage seemed to think about that a moment before calling over a flight attendant. "Psst! Pssst!"

A female in a navy blue vest came over and politely hushed the actor. "How can I help you, sir?" she whispered cheerfully.

"Yes, hi. I was wondering…could you tell me what the date is today?"

"Of course. It's October 2nd today."

The actor's mouth hung open.

"Are you all right, sir?"

"Ehh, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. It's just…football season, you know? I missed a lot…"

The stewardess gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything else." She gave Sub-Zero and I a once-over and winked before sauntering away down the aisle.

Johnny turned to us, his expression still shocked. "October 2nd, what the fuck! I don't know about you guys but I left for the tournament in like early July!"

There was a chorus of 'shh' around us.

"Sounds about right," Sub-Zero said quietly. "A lot happened."

Johnny slumped back in his seat. "So much for my sunny weather. I mean, it could still be warm over there right now but you never know. Cali weather is a fickle bitch."

"Good to know." Sub-Zero leaned back in his seat as well, resting his head back.

I wondered if he'd ever been to America before, let alone California. I've been to various states on assassination missions, and I didn't really think one place was vastly different from another. People were people no matter where you put them.

The stewardess came back a few times, always asking if she could get us anything. Johnny tried in vain each time to get some form of recognition out of her, since it seemed she had no idea who he was. She almost completely ignored him while she made eyes at Sub-Zero.

After she left for a third time Johnny turned to us again. "Can you believe that? Five movies under my belt and that's the thanks I get. Some people don't know quality movies when they see 'em. Or maybe I look different without my sunglasses…"

"Show her your tattoo," I suggested.

Sub-Zero snorted, and Johnny 'hmphed' while curling up in his seat. I was envious of how easily he fell asleep.

I settled into my own seat, keeping my gaze fixed ahead. Only a few passengers had their overhead lights on, but it kept the rest of us lit in a faint glow. I listened dully to the hum of the electricity and the constant rumble of the engines. I could not sleep.

In fact, it had been many days since I had gotten a good night's rest. Without the pain-relievers for my injuries to knock me out, I found it almost impossible to stay asleep. I was constantly waking up in a cold sweat, visions of my murdered clan still lingering behind when I closed my eyes. After a short time, I stopped sleeping altogether. No one noticed while we were in Edenia.

I glanced at Sub-Zero from the corner of my eye, regarding him silently. The former Lin Kuei was nodding off but fighting the urge to sleep. Finally, sleep won out and his head drooped forward over his chest.

He didn't know the last time I truly slept was the night of the celebration, when we shared a bed. I had been so confused when I woke up that morning, and not just because I was kicked from the bed, but because for a few blissful moments I had believed that I was _home_. That my family was still alive and that I was in bed with my wife.

My chest tightened painfully at the reminder of Kana—my beautiful, sweet, loving wife. I missed her terribly. And in those early waking moments I had completely forgotten about all the tragedy that had happened. In that moment the massacre never happened and I was still in my village. But it was just a fleeting memory that had felt incredibly real, even down to the smells.

It was a bit startling when I had realized how mistaken I was. And how quickly all the recent events had flooded back into my mind. It was not my home, but Sub-Zero's room in Edenia. And my wife was still dead.

My jaw clenched painfully while I thought about the disappointment. And I was mad at myself. Mad at my mind for giving me some peace before painfully ripping it away. And it wasn't Sub-Zero's fault, but how curious that he should be the first person I'd share a bed with since my wife.

Ever since that day, even looking at a bed was difficult, so I had taken to sleeping on the floor. Not as comfortable, but I wasn't really sleeping anyway. Too many horrible thoughts filled my mind. And the guilt… the burning, crippling guilt.

_If I had been there for my family… for my clan… they would still be alive._

Sub-Zero slumped forward a bit in his seat next to me, and slowly his body slid to the side until his head was resting gently on my shoulder.

I looked down at him carefully, not wanting to wake him. One of us should dream.

I frowned a bit, though. This man was hard to figure out sometimes. I knew he had been avoiding me the last few days in Edenia, and nothing he said could convince me otherwise. But why? I still didn't understand what I had done. And I still remembered the panicked feeling I had that I had done something irreparable. That I had pushed him away completely.

I didn't realize how important his companionship was to me until I thought he was taking it away. He was the only person I felt could even come close to understanding my pain. And I trusted that he would never use it against me.

I thought about his brother briefly, with disgust, and how different they were. There were similarities to be sure, but there was a kindness about this Sub-Zero that I never glimpsed in his older brother. I don't even think this young man knew how much he looked after his friends, even when he was cold with them. And I never heard of any Lin Kuei having friends, yet this one had forged a loyal brotherhood with his ally, Smoke.

There was something different about him from the others. There was a light inside him that not even the Lin Kuei could snuff out. Suddenly I had a strong feeling of protection towards him. It still baffled me that this man had endeared himself to me so fast.

The stewardess came back – snapping me out of my musings – and made a silent gesture asking if I needed anything. I mouthed the word 'No' and she smiled overtly cheery as she walked away.

Bothersome woman. It hurt all the more to think about what a perfect wife I had in Kana. No other woman would ever compare.

I peered down at the sleeping Sub-Zero once more, studying his relaxed features. He looked much younger when his face was relaxed like that. I bet he had peaceful dreams.

Suddenly his head shot up and cracked me against my nose.

"Ow! Shit!" I winced and grabbed my nose just as the blood began to pour down.

Sub-Zero was rubbing the back of his head. "Fuck, I'm sorry!"

Blood was starting to dribble down my chin. Sub-Zero put a hand on my back. "Here lean forward like this," he whispered, pushing me a bit. "I'll be right back!"

I watched through narrowed eyes as he vaulted over Cage's sleeping form and landed silently in the aisle. _Show-off, _I thought as he ran lightly toward the restrooms.

Sighing, I turned to face the front again, and caught a glare from the man seated in front of me.

"What?" I snapped, giving him my worst death-glare in return. The man flinched and turned back around in his seat.

Sub-Zero came back then, handing me a wadded up ball of toilet paper. I replaced my hands with the flimsy paper and tried not to get blood on anything. My hands were already sticky from the drying blood.

"Sorry," Sub-Zero said again. He was blushing.

I raised an eyebrow at him. He was doing that a lot lately. Maybe he was getting sick? Or had he always been quick to turn red and I never noticed?

A few minutes passed and I removed the tissue to check my nose. Still bleeding.

Sub-Zero scooted closer to me. "Here," he murmured. "I know a trick."

I jerked my head away as he made a reach for my nose.

"You've done enough!" I whispered harshly.

He scowled and reached again. "Don't be stubborn, you ass!"

I couldn't fight him off for very long—it was a cramped space and we were still trying to be quiet.

My back was pressed firmly against the window as he pinched my nose just below the bridge. I watched him angrily as he held on – gently, but firmly – for almost half a minute.

When he let go, I immediately shot my hand up to my nose to check for fresh blood, but there was none.

"How did you do that?" I asked curiously.

"I just pressed long enough for the blood vessels to clot."

"Ah."

"I didn't break it, did I?"

"No. I wouldn't have let you touch it at all if you had."

"Oh, so you 'let me' just now?"

"That's right. Don't you dare think you're stronger than me."

"Maybe you like it when I touch you…"

The comment hung in the air almost exactly the way a brick doesn't. And his tone was…strangely suggestive.

We stared at each other a long moment before he looked away with a flushed face.

Whatever that strange scene had been between us was gone. And I really wished that I could step outside for some fresh air.

"I'm going to wash up," I grumbled, making my way into the aisle as gracefully as possible.

As soon as I made it to the restroom, I quickly turned on the tap and began splashing cold water onto my face. _What the hell just happened?_

It had almost sounded like Sub-Zero was flirting with me, but I knew better than that. He only misspoke, and perhaps his words came out in a way he did not intend. I chuckled thinking about how the young man must've embarrassed himself. I decided I would not be cruel about it, and pretend it never happened if I could help it. That was best.

The water in the sink turned pink with a few streaks of red thrown in as I washed the blood from my hands and face, erasing any evidence of what happened. Just like after a mission. Definitely not the first time I performed this usually post-battle ritual.

And probably not the last.

I glanced up at my reflection in the mirror and paused to stare at my eyes, bracing my hands on either side of the sink. It'd been so long since I'd seen my own face. I still wasn't used to it. All I saw was a tired old man staring back at me.

I sighed as I dried my hands, and slowly made my way back to my seat.

Johnny Cage was still sleeping, but Sub-Zero was watching me apprehensively, as if I might explode at any moment.

"Better?" he asked at last.

"Yes."

Sub-Zero looked as if he wanted to say something more, and as trained assassins he and I were not ones to fidget uncomfortably, so instead he bit his lip in an anxious way.

I smirked at him. "Don't worry, Frosty, you're not the only one that wants to get their hands on me."

His eyebrows shot together in annoyance. "Frosty? I beg your pardon."

I merely laughed at him.

"What do you mean, though, about the hands?" he asked, puzzled.

I shrugged. "At the airport when we were getting searched by security. That female guard let her hands roam a little too freely."

This time he softly chuckled. "How terrible for you."

"I swear, her hands lingered far too long on my ass."

"No wonder you were so grouchy."

"I'm not grouchy," I said, glowering at him. "…Not always."

"I know," he smiled, and it was such a small, sad smile that it made me feel gratefulness toward him. Because I knew he wasn't pitying me, but that he understood me.

I admit I have a short temper. I'm working on it.

* * *

><p>The rest of the flight was uneventful.<p>

We stepped out of the LA-X airport and into a sunny – but cold – morning.

Johnny lamented the lack of a cell phone and money as we headed out on foot to his agent's office.

The actor cried, "6am! I am so jet-lagged." And proceeded to drag his feet as he led us through the city. Thankfully, he didn't feel much like talking.

The "office" wasn't that far away, and it was actually inside a karate dojo. The kind that teaches little children. Johnny steered us to a room in the back.

"Chuck!" Johnny held out his hand as a middle-aged man in a dark suit jumped up from his desk to take it. I noted that the desk and workspace was cluttered with various folders and papers.

Cage turned to us. "Guys, this is Charles Weston. He owns the place and finds me my awesome movie roles."

The man didn't appear professional to me, but I didn't know much about agents. And just then another man came into the room. He was much younger looking than this Charles, but they could have been twins with their same features and same sandy-colored hair. In fact, I found it hard to distinguish Johnny Cage from them as well.

For a second, a memory came back to me of an old friend making a joke about how all white people look the same. He had never been politically correct.

The younger man snapped me back to the present. "Hey!" he said, and gave Johnny a hug. "We opened up shop early just for you. Man, you have a lot of explaining ahead of you."

Johnny rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I know. Oh, I was in the middle of introductions." He turned again to Sub-Zero and I, and pointed at the man in the suit. "I think I mentioned that they're brothers, but anyways, like I was saying this is Charles. And this guy is Lance."

Lance was obviously the younger brother, and was wearing karate pants and a t-shirt.

"Lance teaches karate here. That's how I met them actually—through martial arts. We were all in classes together years ago, and then Lance and I tried to get into movies by being stuntmen, but I decided why damage a pretty face like mine?"

"Yep, but he's always been a ham," said Lance.

Charles shook his head. "I did it only for exercise. But back to the point here—who are these guys? And what the hell happened to you?"

"Long, boring story. I'll fill you in next time, okay?"

"Johnny!"

"C'mon, I just came to get the keys to my apartment and then sleep forever."

Charles opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a set of keys. "You're welcome, by the way," he mumbled as he tossed them to the actor.

"I owe you guys big, I promise!"

"But who are they?" Lance was staring at me, giving me the evil eye, and I suspected I was giving one back.

Johnny sighed. "This is…uh…I can't even think of any lies right now, I'm so tired. That is Sub-Zero, and that scary-faced man is Scorpion. They're my friends."

The brothers looked at the three of us like we were crazy.

Johnny visibly drooped and sat himself in one of the chairs next to Charles' desk. "Okay, I'll tell you guys everything. And don't worry, my friends here are human."

"So you _did_ have something to do with all that apocalyptic stuff that happened a while back?" said Lance.

"How do you know about that?"

Charles rolled his eyes. "We're not stupid. And we have television. That shit was all over the news. And after you disappeared after talking about that tournament…well, we put stuff together."

"Oh. Cool. All right, well, where shall I begin…"

I looked at Sub-Zero and he looked back, a frown forming tight on his mouth.

We knew we were going to be here awhile.

* * *

><p>I wasn't keeping track of the time, but if I had to guess it was probably only a few hours of mind-numbing sitting and listening to Johnny Cage tell his side of the story. Most of it I already knew, and only very little was interesting to me. Like how Sub-Zero had almost fought his friends to come after me and retrieve me from Outworld. I hadn't known that.<p>

The brothers believed every word Johnny said. It helped when Sub-Zero showed them his powers by freezing Cage's shoes to the floor.

"Ninjas, huh?" Lance said, he nodded towards me. "What does he do again?"

"I can kill you eight different ways," I said matter-of-factly. "And that's only the silent ways."

Lance sneered at me, but didn't do anything stupid. Damn.

I don't know why he didn't like me, but sometimes you just can't get along with a person. Not that I wanted to. I could break him with my pinky.

"Okay, gentlemen." Johnny stood up and stretched. "We go to get going."

Charles got up to walk us out. "You know the media is going to have a field day about your mysterious disappearance and return. We'll have to set a press conference, and make up some story they'll believe… Don't tell anyone what you just told us."

"Don't worry," Johnny said sleepily. "I don't think I could tell it all again."

"Yeah, yeah. Call me later. Bye, fellas." Charles waved at us and walked back into his dojo/talent agency.

Sub-Zero looked around at the various buildings. "Now where to?"

"Home!" Johnny blurted happily. Then, "Shit. I shoulda asked them for some cab money."

* * *

><p>The actor's apartment wasn't as bad as I had expected. Apparently his movies were more successful than I knew.<p>

It was a two-bedroom, and large enough for a Hollywood actor. That's what Johnny told us, and that someday he wanted a penthouse in New York if he could afford it.

After changing into spare pajamas that Johnny lent us, there was a small argument between Sub-Zero and I over who should get the guest bedroom.

I wanted him to have it, and he insisted I take it.

I told him I was fine on the couch, and he immediately called dibs on it, which started another fight about how 'dibs' work since I already mentioned the couch first.

Johnny blinked between us for a short while before turning on his heel in the direction of his own bed. "Well, good luck working that out! Good night! Bye!"

Finally, Sub-Zero relented and stomped into the spare room, slamming the door behind him.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, attempting to keep my anger in check. The couch was fine. I wouldn't be sleeping anyway.

Cage had given me a hoodie to wear since his heater was broken, and I put the hood on over my head as I closed all the curtains and settled down onto the plush couch. It didn't have much support to it, but I guess it was better than lying on the floor.

I shivered slightly and pondered asking Cage for a blanket. I dismissed the thought quickly and crossed my arms over my chest in a manly manner. Cold was for the weak!

More time passed as I stared dully at the ceiling. One thing I hate most about not being able to sleep is the thinking that comes with having nothing else to occupy your time with.

All I could think about was how I would destroy Quan Chi. And that would cause me to think of my clan, which caused me to imagine their demise. I couldn't imagine what my wife and child's final thoughts had been. How awful their fear must have been.

And yet I am the one alive. Why? Why me?

I heard feet padding softly into the kitchen which was right next to where I was laying in the living area. I craned my head back over the arm of the couch to see Sub-Zero standing near the fridge.

He paused when he saw me. "Ah. I was thirsty. Sorry if I woke you…"

"I wasn't asleep," I said as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

He tilted his head quizzically. "No? Aren't you tired?"

I nodded. "I'm exhausted."

Sub-Zero stood there a bit longer, unsure.

I made a reaching motion to him. "Come here."

When he still didn't move an inch, I patted the space on the couch next to me. Sub-Zero laughed softly and it only took him a few quick strides to sit on the cushion beside me.

I needed a distraction from my dark thoughts and I knew his presence usually helped with that.

"So," I started. "What's your favorite colour?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Why won't they just make-out already, geez._

_Lemme know what you guys think :) Thank you for reading~_


	18. SubZero: Chinese Food

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I know I've been away for awhile but hopefully these chapters make up for it... They're not very long(at all) but it's something, right? x)

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these things. All copyrighted characters/things belong to their rightful owners.

* * *

><p>When I finally slipped into bed, it was with a smile on my face.<p>

My sleeping schedule was going to be messed up, but I had talked to Scorpion for hours. And I learned quite a bit about him.

And even more surprising was that he was the one that had initiated it. Once I'd realized he was in a sharing mood, I jumped at the opportunity.

I learned that his favorite food was beef sukiyaki, and he admitted that one of his favorite hobbies was cooking. He told me his favorite colour was green, much to my surprise. And he shared things with me about his family and clan. He was trusting me.

The man was infuriating at times, but I found myself liking him more and more.

I only regretted that I couldn't share more with him. The whole conversation had felt very one-sided. It was kind of depressing how little I knew about myself.

Within the Lin Kuei I had certain privileges and luxuries, but only to a controlled extent. The Grandmaster still decided what music we were permitted to listen to and what foods and other outside things we were allowed to have. Even though my room had been expensively furnished—it was very spartan and impersonal. I really only interacted with other cultures when I went on missions.

When Scorpion asked me what my favorite colour was, I had been a bit stumped. In the end, I decided I liked blue the best. And not just because of my uniform or the Lin Kuei, but it was a nice calming colour. Who didn't like blue?

And I grew more relaxed around him as we talked. I was sick of blushing around the man.

_Hanzo..._ As far as I knew, I was the only one he trusted to give his true name to. Perhaps I would use it when no one else was around.

* * *

><p>"You've never heard of The Beatles?!"<p>

Scorpion gaped at me as I shook my head.

After I woke up, I rejoined Scorpion in the living room and we began to peruse Johnny's CD and album collection while we waited for the actor to emerge from his room.

"I might have heard of them," I told him. "But maybe only in passing. I wouldn't know them by name."

"Well, they're pretty much legends, but not really my musical style. Ever heard of Metallica?"

"No."

"You will." Scorpion began to flip through the CD's on the shelf and started to pull some out. "I've always been a metalhead. It's not for everyone, but there's nothing like some Slayer to get the blood flowing."

"All right." I'd have to take his word for it.

Johnny Cage finally entered the living room, fully dressed, sunglasses and all. "What're you guys up to? Hey! Those are in alphabetical order—watch it!"

"We're going to find out what Sub-Zero's musical preference is," Scorpion replied.

The actor made his way to the front door. "Cool. I've got more stuff on my ipod over there if you wanna check it out. Anyway, listen guys, I'm gonna be gone for a few hours. I have to get a new cell phone and other things. I might stop by Chuck's place real quick… He still wants me to make some kind of statement to the media."

Scorpion stopped him as he stepped out of the apartment. "Bring back some food! Your fridge is empty."

"Okay!" Johnny said with a happy grin. Then as he was closing the door: "Don't break my shit!"

* * *

><p>I watched patiently as Scorpion looked through CD after CD. According to him, the only thing going for Johnny Cage was his musical taste.<p>

I wondered if there had been many chances to listen to 'metal' in the Shirai Ryu villages. And I asked him as much.

"No," Scorpion chuckled. "The songs we had in the villages were played by our own instruments, and sung by our own singers."

"Then how do you know so much about Western music?"

He had his back to me as he read the tracklist of another CD. "I didn't always live in the village."

That surprised me.

"You weren't raised within the Shirai Ryu?" I asked.

"No."

"Then wher—"

"I grew up in the city with my father." He cut me off abruptly, still without looking at me.

I hadn't known that. Scorpion had never mentioned his father when we talked about his family. I hated to pry, but I was extremely curious about this man's past. Why had he chosen a life in the mountains, over a life in the city? Where was his father?

Several questions were buzzing around in my head, and I was glad that we were alone. Otherwise he might not have shared even this much.

"Your father raised you?" I asked softly.

"Yes. My mother died at childbirth."

I nodded solemnly even though he couldn't see it. "And, how did you come to be a member of the Shirai Ryu?"

Scorpion either didn't hear me—which was unlikely—or was ignoring the question.

I tried again. "Scorpion? Where is your father now?" _Did he die with the rest of your clan?_

He turned to me slowly and handed me a CD, his eyes not meeting my gaze. "You'll like them."

I didn't give a damn about whatever band this was. I wanted him to answer me. But it didn't seem as though that was going to happen, so I dropped it.

Suddenly, Scorpion began to laugh out loud with that deep voice of his as he stared at a CD in his hand.

I stepped beside him trying to see the cover. "What? What?"

"We can never let Cage live this down."

* * *

><p>It was later in the night when Johnny returned, carrying several bags on his arms.<p>

"Honeys, I'm home!" he said upon entering the apartment.

Scorpion chose that moment to fling the offensive CD—case and all—right at the actor. Johnny froze as it hit him smack in his chest, letting the item fall to the floor.

He stared blankly at the older man. "In my own home…"

Scorpion let out a bark of laughter from his position on the couch. I was sitting on the floor with my legs crossed. We had been discussing the similarities between Chinese and Japanese cultures before Johnny came back.

I smiled at Johnny. "He says you have to explain yourself."

"Oh, really?" Johnny deposited the bags to the floor and picked up the CD. "Let's see here… OH MY GOD."

Scorpion laughed again.

Johnny's face turned a bright red. "The Spice Girls were very popular in the 90's, okay?!"

My smile grew as I tried to hold in my own laughter. I hadn't heard of The Spice Girls before, and I refused to now, but I could bet that their music was just as ridiculous as the outfits the women were wearing on the cover.

"It's not even mine," Johnny frowned. "An old girlfriend left that here."

"Destroy it," Scorpion advised.

"I'll kill it with fire," the actor agreed.

I jumped up and quickly snatched the CD away from Johnny. "I'll throw it away." The last thing we needed was an explosion of some kind around here. Honestly, these two were like children sometimes.

Johnny Cage grumbled as he picked up his bags and brought them over to the kitchen table. "Come get some eats!"

We all sat down around the table as our host unpacked the 'Chinese Takeout' he bought.

My stomach growled impatiently as he opened all the little white boxes of food. "What are those other bags filled with?" I asked.

"I bought a cell phone, and a new laptop. Other crap. I didn't have enough time to go grocery shopping." Johnny sat down. "Oh, and I got the cable turned back on if you guys want to watch TV or something."

"Thank you," I told him. I wondered how much money he really had. And if I should feel guilty that Scorpion and I weren't contributing anything.

Scorpion was busy breaking apart a pair of wooden chopsticks and rubbing them together to smooth out the rough edges. I was pleasantly surprised when he handed them to me.

Johnny told him that he preferred a fork over chopsticks as Scorpion began the process on another pair.

"Fine," Scorpion snorted. "Then these ones are for me."

We dug in. And I had been so excited to start eating that I almost inhaled a piece of mandarin chicken. Some very bland and dry, mandarin chicken.

I took samples from every little box and was disappointed each time. Some of the food items I never even heard of.

"This isn't Chinese food!" I announced too loudly. I had meant that thought to remain in my head.

Johnny laughed. "It's American-Chinese food!"

The food was too sweet, too dry, not spicy enough, and tasted like medicine. I could tell that some of the vegetables had been frozen, too.

So disappointed.

Scorpion reached over and put a hand on my shoulder, as if reading my mind. "It's the American way. You get used to it."

I tried my best not to pout as I reluctantly continued to eat everything on my plate.

"How'd the music hunting go?" asked Johnny. "I have a pretty big collection."

"We found out he likes Jimi Hendrix," Scorpion answered for me. "And Metallica."

"And Queens of the Stoneage," I added. They were possibly my favorite so far.

Cage scooped up some rice with his fork and looked at me. "So, is this your first time in America?"

"Yes," I admitted quietly.

"What about your parents? Where were they from?" he asked.

Uhh. "I wouldn't know, Johnny."

"It's just because—" he took another bite and swallowed. "—you have blue eyes. So I was wondering."

"You don't really look Chinese, either," Scorpion pointed out.

I looked between the two of them. "So, you're saying because I have blue eyes my parents must be American?"

"More likely just one of them."

I shook my head. "My brother had blue eyes, too."

Cage laughed. "Oh no, siblings that shared the same hereditary gene! That's unheard of!"

"That's not what I meant!" I said, almost choking on my food. "I mean, I always thought we had blue eyes because of our shared…gift." I was told before that my eyes seem to glow a brighter blue when I use my ice powers.

Scorpion let out an irritated sigh, and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. I knew talking about my brother must upset him.

I also decided a long time ago that Scorpion was completely unaware that my brother was still alive—in a sense. He had enough on his hands with Quan Chi on his hit-list. I wasn't about to tell him that I'd seen my brother returned as a wraith.

Thankfully, Johnny changed the subject. "Oh well, something to ask Raiden about. Anyway! I wrote down a statement today at Chuck's to give to the press. Shit's probably going to hit the fan tomorrow. He's already anticipating me having to make multiple appearances at talk shows."

He sounded annoyed, but looked eager for it.

"That should help me get back into the Hollywood game," he added.

"What are you going to tell them?" I asked, worried. I didn't want anyone to think the actor was crazy. Crazier than he already was.

"I'm not going to tell them the whole truth… That'd be too hard to explain. Even though, I do think I deserve SOME recognition… But hey…whatever…"

Scorpion snorted. "Write a book."

Johnny's head snapped up, he looked genuinely interested. "Well, I'm no writer, but… That's not a bad idea, man."

"I was joking."

"No, no, listen…" Johnny stood up, moving his hands excitedly. "You just gave me an idea for a movie script!"

Great.

The actor left his dirty dishes as he began to search through the many bags for his laptop. "I gotta call Chuck! He's gonna love this. I gotta start writing right away while everything that happened to us is still fresh in my mind!"

And with that, Johnny grabbed his laptop and made a beeline for his bedroom, slamming his door with all his creative energy.

I turned and glared at Scorpion.

"What?" he asked gruffly. "It'll keep him busy."

"Well, find a way to drag him out of there."

"Why?"

"Because I was going to ask him about new clothes. We're still wearing his pajamas!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_I read everyone's reviews! I just can't reply to them all. Thank you **Gancena**. And thanks everyone. I'm baaack~_


	19. Sonya: Patience

**A/N: **This is a reely short chapter. And the one after this. I apologize if it isn't enough. D;

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

* * *

><p>I scowled angrily at Jax. "Kitana has the right to know, sir."<p>

He crossed his arms and sighed. "It's just not a top priority right now."

We'd been arguing about this for days and I was starting to get a migraine.

Big Bad Queen Sindel still lay comatose somewhere in our HQ's laboratories. She posed a potential threat, but she was also Kitana's mother. And I didn't want to keep this big a secret from my friend.

Jax began to walk over to where his tech guys were working on making a portal we could control to traverse the realms. I stalked his footsteps, still trying to convince the Major.

"Sir, if Sindel is a threat, then we should tell the others in Edenia, in case we need their help. And considering how she kicked our asses the last time—we're going to need it."

"I know that," Jax snapped. He gestured toward the large metal ring set up against the wall. "We're not even close to getting this thing operational yet. There's nothing we can do."

"I just wish they would have checked up on us by now," I muttered in frustration. "I wish Liu and Kung Lao were here."

Jax smirked. "And Johnny Cage?"

I turned my head to hide the flush that spread across my face.

The Major chuckled and headed off to oversee the technicians on the surveillance monitors. "Be patient, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>A week went by without any global catastrophes. And without any progress on our manmade portal.<p>

I tapped my fingers restlessly against my keyboard as I stared at another boring report.

The President made my Special Forces team a separate division to specifically defend the Earth against any more "invaders". But nothing like that was happening now.

I guess I should sound more relieved. But I missed the action.

I smiled to myself as I thought about my conversation with Johnny earlier that day. He called to complain about his guests' behavior on a recent shopping excursion. Apparently Scorpion didn't want to go at all, and Sub-Zero was very picky about choosing his wardrobe.

That's what Johnny gets for volunteering to take care of the two ninjas. Actually I would bet that Sub-Zero was easier to live with. I couldn't imagine how either of them could stand Scorpion's company. The jerk.

That thought made me frown. Somehow, Johnny had gotten me to promise that I would go to California to visit him. In a few days. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the former-dead guy anytime soon. But maybe he'd be in a better mood since I shipped all their ninja gear to them, finally.

"How's it goin', Sonya?"

I swiveled my chair around to find Stryker standing behind me. He was carrying a large pile of papers.

"That's Lieutenant Blade, officer. Anything interesting you got there?"

"Aw, c'mon Sonya. We been workin' together for weeks now. Aren't we at a first name basis, yet?"

Officer Stryker was one of the few who were allowed to join our Special Forces team—along with his partner Kabal. Now _that _guy gave me the creeps. But I could hardly blame him for moping around the departments.

I pretended to look busy and typed a few nonsensical lines on my computer. "The files, officer. Anything for me?"

His shoulders drooped. "Nah… I just wanted to see if you wanted to get some lunch. With me."

I sucked in a breath, trying to keep calm. "I already ate."

"Well, that's okay." He came closer and leaned against the edge of my desk. "I got some time to kill."

"Listen, Stryker—"

"Hey, did you hear Major Briggs is working on some new communicators? It'd be nice not havin' a phone bill."

I smiled. That sounded like Jax. Our old ones were broken during all those battles, anyway.

"Yeah, that'll be great." I could talk to Johnny all I wanted.

"Sonya—"

"Wait! Stryker…" This was so uncomfortable. "I'm kind of… I mean, I'm not…exactly single."

He jerked in surprise. "Oh. I didn't know…"

"I know it's hard to tell. I don't like talking about my personal life."

"Who? It's not Major Briggs, is it?"

I almost laughed. "What? Jax? No, no. No. We've just been friends a long time."

"Then who?"

"Listen, _officer_, that's really none of your business."

"Well, I ain't seen no man coming here to see you."

Hmph. "Well, it's difficult for Johnny to come here all the time but we're working on—"

"Oh," he sneered. "_That_ guy."

Men. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, that guy. You got a problem with that?"

Stryker's face was red, but he didn't explode like I thought he would.

"No," he said. "Not at all."

"Then get back to work."

Stryker clenched the papers in his hand tightly, but stomped away without another word.

I sighed and rested my forehead against my hand. This was why I liked to stay away from personal relationships with anyone.

But I would be counting the days until I saw Johnny.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_I ship too many couples..._


	20. Shinnok: You Don't Exist

**A/N: **Just a tidbit into the mind of the villain real quick...

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

><p>My subordinate kneeled before me like the pathetic worm he was.<p>

"I find your failures unacceptable, Quan Chi. I really expected more."

The worm lifted his pathetic head to meet my gaze. "Please, Master. Allow me another chance to prove myself."

I turned away from his worthless form to survey my kingdom. The Netherrealm was teeming with dark spirits that only fueled my desire for more power. I breathed in the energy wafting from the wretched souls and smiled in pleasure.

The Elder Gods would pay.

"Rise, Quan Chi."

I heard my second stand to his feet behind me.

I turned toward him. "Are you certain you can turn this Shirai Ryu, again?"

The weaker sorcerer nodded emphatically. "Of course, Master. He'll believe anything I tell him if I dangle his family in front of him. He is a creature filled with hunger for sentiment."

"Hm. I believed that the last time."

"I—I underestimated his will. I see that now. But he is a gullible human. They only believe what they want most. His mind is weak—and his spirit fragile."

"And you believe he would be an asset to my empire?"

"Yes, Master. But there are many willing to join your cause."

I chuckled darkly. "It's not the willing I want."

I wanted to see pain in the eyes of my soldiers. The hopeless, searing pain that would overwhelm the Elder Gods' pure light.

Quan Chi made a sniveling noise behind me. Lower than a dog.

"What is it?" I snapped.

"Lord Shinnok… I thought you should know that one of our own is missing."

"Oh? And which one might that be?"

"The demon—Sareena. She hasn't reported back to me in days."

Sareena? We gave names to our slaves?

"No matter," I scoffed. "One less demon will not stop me in my quest."

"Yes, Master."

"Leave me now."

"Yes, Master. The Elder Gods shall know of your might and regret their slights against you."

I growled as the fool left. _Slights?!_

But it wasn't just about the Elder Gods anymore.

I would plunge all of the realms into eternal darkness.

I would not be satisfied until every living creature was sent into oblivion.

There would be nothing left but the cold, unforgiving darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_I fear the dark..._


	21. Scorpion: It Burns

**A/N: **Angsty-Scorpion needs the hugs.

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

* * *

><p>No one ever tells you how cold a lifeless body can become.<p>

They don't tell you about the _colour._

The bodies of my fallen clan were so grey and still, I almost mistook them for statues.

Snow crunched softly beneath my feet as I wandered alone through my village. Death followed me, and was before me.

It was so dark—so cold—I could barely see.

_My fault… I wasn't here…_

"Kana," I sobbed breathlessly. My beautiful wife was laid out before me, and I couldn't bring myself to touch her. "I'm so sorry…"

Her face was grey like all the others, but her eyes opened slowly. Brown and sickly—unseeing.

I jumped back. "Kana?"

Her arm swung out in a ghostly manner, and she pointed at me accusingly. Her glazed eyes revealed the truth. And they screamed at me. "_You did this."_

A snapping noise caused me to turn around, only to discover that the bodies of my clan now surrounded me. They closed in, in a tight circle.

"_You did this."_

My throat constricted and I couldn't get a sound out.

I saw my son standing among the dead. Eyes wide with fear.

I fell to my knees and reached for him. I wanted to tell him I was sorry. I wanted to tell him I loved him.

A strange voice laughed like a howling on the wind. And my body shivered as a familiar burn began to seep through my skin.

"_You did this."_

I made a choking noise as my skin began to blister and boil. I clawed at my face desperately.

"_You deserve to feel our pain."_

The fire erupted around my skull soundlessly and without warning.

My eyes liquefied and poured down my cheeks from their sockets as the skin on my head crackled and split—peeling to reveal the bone underneath.

Finally, finally I was allowed to let out a gut-wrenching scream of agony as I burned alive. The smell of roasting flesh consuming me.

That voice spoke out again, a soft whisper in my mind.

"_How quickly a face melts…"_

* * *

><p>I jumped up screaming as I awoke. Something was holding me down as I struggled to get away.<p>

I had to get away. The pain was going to come. I was going to burn.

Something cool grabbed my face, and I caught a glimpse of piercing, blue eyes.

I let out a shuddering breath as I focused on those eyes. No one's eyes should be that blue.

I relaxed a bit when I realized it was Sub-Zero. And that I was still on Johnny Cage's couch.

Sub-Zero had his hands on either side of my face—he was keeping them cold on purpose to snap me out of it. And calm me, perhaps.

He was saying something, but whatever it was I missed.

I sat back against the couch and tried to even my breathing. I still remembered choking on flames.

Cage was standing nearby, clearly concerned. "Is he alright? What happened?"

"It's okay," Sub-Zero answered. "A nightmare. Go back to sleep."

Johnny nodded and left a bit reluctantly. I waited until I heard his bedroom door close.

"I'm fine," I said, albeit with a shaky voice.

"No, you're not." The young man continued to stroke my forehead gently.

I shot him a look.

"Screaming in the middle of the night is not _fine_," he countered.

I moved his hand away from me and sat up a bit straighter on the couch. I was not in a sharing mood.

He sat next to me anyway and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Is that why you haven't been sleeping?"

"Huh?"

"You think you could fool me with those bags under your eyes? Johnny may not have noticed, but I could tell how tired you've been."

Well, he couldn't have noticed for a while. It didn't matter.

"Go back to bed, Sub-Zero."

"And what will you do?"

"Why do you care so much?" I said harshly.

Sub-Zero didn't even bat an eye. "You can't live without sleep. You won't be of any use to us."

I didn't even want to close my eyes. Every time I did all I saw was my son's terror-filled face.

"There's nothing to do about it," I told him. "I do not want to sleep ever again."

"It was only a nightmare."

"No," I said quickly. "Not for me. Never for me."

A sadness touched his eyes, and I immediately regretted telling him anything. The young man had enough of his own burdens.

He grabbed my shoulder a little tighter and I winced. His touch was like poison. I felt guilty for feeling any comfort when my family had none.

Sub-Zero was no longer cold. "Hanzo…"

I could turn the pain into something else.

"My name is Scorpion!" I hissed sharply. "Keep your fucking, Lin Kuei hands off of me!"

He snatched his hand back as if I burned him. _Gods…_

The hurt I saw on his face quickly turned into hate. "Fine! Rot in the Netherrealm for all I care!"

He stormed off into his bedroom, but strangely enough kept his door open.

I rested my head in my hands. I deserved to be alone.

But I couldn't breathe in here.

I pulled at the front of my shirt. The tension in my chest felt so tight…

I had to run. I had to get away.

* * *

><p>When I flung open the door to Johnny's apartment, I had no idea of where I might go.<p>

But I was on automatic and I let my feet carry me out of the building and into the night.

I ran and ran.

Forcing myself to go faster until my legs ached.

I just had to get away. It didn't matter where.

Running was important.

_Run._

After what seemed like hours my body began to protest the strain and I was forced to stop. I gasped for breath as I sat down on the curb. My sweat immediately chilling my body in the night air.

I really didn't want to be alone.

I wanted my family.

_I'm so sorry…_

* * *

><p>I came back to the apartment some time later. Sub-Zero was there on the couch, his hands steepled together against his mouth.<p>

My breathing was still a bit ragged. It wasn't too difficult to find my way back, but it took a while.

I swallowed any bit of pride I had left.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." He looked so unhappy. "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere." That was the truth.

He nodded. "I understand."

I cleared my throat. "You're on my bed."

"I thought we might switch tonight."

Oh, no. "No, I—I don't want to sleep on an actual bed."

"It wasn't a problem in Edenia."

My face heated quickly. "That was different."

"Was it?"

"I was drunk…"

"But you managed to sleep."

I didn't deserve his kindness.

Sub-Zero stood up. "I have another theory. If you'll trust me."

I nodded, because that was all I could manage. I was so tired.

He grabbed my shoulders and turned me toward the bedroom. I let him push me forward.

"So, Scorpion—"

"Hanzo. I mean, Hanzo is fine."

"All right. Hanzo, what side of the bed do you prefer?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Light fluff at the end? I'll be writing more. I appreciate everyone's patience. (:_


	22. Sonya: Tired Already

**A/N: **I owe all of you a huge apology! No excuses for my absence, other than life really kicked my ass. BUT I have more free time now. And I do plan on continuing!

Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! I hope you continue to. This chapter is kinda short, I sorry. But a Sub-Zero POV chapter is next.

And some of you have been asking about Smoke... Yes, he will return to the story soon. (: Well, relatively soon. Er, my point is he's coming back. And I'll try to give him a POV of his own somewhere down the line...

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **Don't sue! I'm only playing with things that don't belong to me!

* * *

><p>I hesitated before knocking on Johnny's front door.<p>

I couldn't believe I was actually in Los Angeles, but the higher-ups agreed I deserved a vacation.

_Hopefully I didn't forget anything, _I thought as I glanced down at my little black suitcase. I was only going to be staying for a week. And right now that sounded like forever.

I reached out and knocked lightly against the door. Why was I so nervous? This wasn't how I usually acted—especially around guys. A small voice inside my head warned me that I must really like the obnoxious actor, and more than I wanted to admit out loud.

_But Lt. Sonya Blade is not some prim and proper little lovesick brat._ I pulled my hair out of its usual ponytail and tousled my hair until I felt it looked messy enough. To hell with what Johnny thought of it! He could deal with it.

Sub-Zero opened the door and raised an eyebrow at my disheveled look, but I was too happy to see him to care or be disappointed that my sort-of-boyfriend didn't answer the door himself.

I let out a small laugh as I pulled Sub-Zero into a tight hug. He was polite enough to return it.

"You're still alive," I said as I pulled away. "I didn't think there'd be anything left of this building by the time I got here."

"We manage okay," he smiled. It was really nice to see him loosening up.

He carried in my luggage for me and I took a brief moment to glance around the apartment. I spotted the ex-dead guy sitting on the couch and cleaning one of his swords.

When he looked my way I gave him a short nod, and he returned it with one of his own. I didn't feel like talking to him, but I was willing to make an effort for Sub-Zero's sake. Later.

I had to admit, it was a lot harder to hate the guy when he looked so…human.

"So I see you got your things in the mail," I said as I turned back to Sub-Zero.

"Yes, thank you for sending them." He pointed down the small hallway. "Johnny has been holed up in his room for days."

"Doing what?"

"Writing a script."

"What? He never told me anything about that." I didn't know Johnny had it in him to write anything.

Sub-Zero shrugged. "He'll be happy to see you."

"Okay, thanks." I grinned at him. "We'll talk more_ later_… About anything I may have _missed_…"

The icy ninja narrowed his eyes at me and shot a nervous glance at his counterpart on the couch—who was oblivious to anything that wasn't his sword.

"Really. I want to know about everything. But later." I gave him a chipper smile as I headed down the hallway to bother Johnny. Since he was apparently too busy to come out and see me.

I pushed open his door to find him lying sprawled out on the floor.

"What are you doing?" I groaned.

"I'm thinking," he replied casually. "I think better when I'm lying down."

I tapped my foot impatiently. "Couldn't make it to the bed that's five feet away from you, hmm?"

"Mehh…"

"Couldn't think to be a little more excited to see your girlfriend who just flew six hours to be with you, hmm?!"

He popped his head up. "Girlfriend?"

I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off his face. I was kind of hurt that he wasn't fawning over me like I expected he would— _Oh, shit. I said girlfriend._

Johnny laughed. "Of course I'm happy to see you! This writer's block has just been kickin' my butt." He walked over and gave me a careful hug. "I'm sorry."

I didn't hug him back, but damn it if it wasn't difficult to stay mad at him when he smelled so good. "Yeah, well, okay. What is it you're writing?"

His face lit up. "I'm going to make a movie about Mortal Kombat! Genius, I know."

I could only stare at him in shock. Was that really a good idea…?

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll make sure some badass actress plays your character. Not that any woman could ever compare to your beauty…"

I shook myself out of my daze. "My character?"

"Yeah. I'm including everyone." He walked over to his desk and sat down, turning on the laptop that was placed there. "I'm changing names, of course."

"Oh, of course."

"And I'll be the lead, of course."

That comment forced me to release any irritation I had for him as I laughed. "I'm not really surprised."

"I know Liu was really the hero," he smiled sheepishly. "But c'mon, Johnny Cage has to be the star in a Johnny Cage movie."

I supposed it couldn't hurt to support him in this. An actor had to know about making movies, right?

I gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it'll be a hit."

But I didn't know if I would be able to watch it. I still had nightmares about some of the things that happened in the other realms.

Johnny began to type away quietly. Not quite what I was expecting from my first visit here, but I didn't want to bitch at him too much.

As if sensing my disquiet, Johnny smirked at his computer screen. "I promise I'll be done here soon and you can have me the whole week to yourself. We can do whatever you want."

"Really? Whatever I want?" That came out more sensually than I meant it.

Johnny immediately turned toward me with a hopeful look on his face.

I blushed. "I didn't mean _that_."

He deflated and turned back to his writings.

I gazed over at his unmade bed. Johnny was more important to me than just a fling. And my heart almost stopped when a thought hit me. A thought that I somehow overlooked.

"Johnny, where am I sleeping?"

He spun around again in his swivel chair. "You're not gonna share a bed with me?"

"I guess I assumed I would get the guest room…"

"I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise! Besides, I'd feel bad about kicking Sub-Zero outta there. It's slowly starting to become his domain…"

"I guess it's not a big deal," I muttered. It would just be a great test to the strength of my self-control.

"Please, Sonya. It would make me so happy."

I could feel my face start to turn red again. "Oh, alright. Jerk."

"You were just waiting to say that."

"What is it?" I asked when his face suddenly turned thoughtful.

Johnny's brows furrowed together. "It's just you reminded me of something…"

"Spit it out." I motioned for him to continue.

"Well, a few nights ago Scorpion had this…meltdown or something. He woke Sub-Zero and I up from some kind of nightmare he was having. And I mean he was screaming and kicking—the whole deal."

I blinked in surprise. That sounded horrible.

"So, I figured it wasn't too bad, because he seemed fine later. I mean we all have nightmares from time to time, right? And I thought it probably wasn't a problem for a ninja." Johnny said the word 'ninja' with some reverence. I sighed. "He's been sleeping on the couch, too. I'm sure that could induce some weird dreaming. But anyway, the other morning when I was leaving my room to make some coffee, I saw Scorpion leave _Sub-Zero's _room to use the bathroom."

My mouth twitched as I fought not to react. "Go on."

"So I thought, 'Okay, maybe Subs is on the couch, then.' But nope. Sub-Zero came out of the same room a few minutes later. Weird, huh?"

Hoo-boy. Sub-Zero had some explaining to do.

"Did either of them see you?" I asked nonchalantly.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't think so. I just kind of stood there not knowing what to do. If they did, they didn't say anything."

Poor, confused Johnny.

"They were probably just talking in there," I said, acting unimpressed. "Talking about ninja things, and not wanting you to overhear."

My kind-of-boyfriend nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Them ninjas…being all sneaky-like. For a second I was thinking maybe Scorpion was too afraid to sleep by himself." He laughed, dismissing the obviously silly idea.

Silly, my ass. It seemed like I missed quite a bit.

Johnny broke me out of my thoughts of how to corner Sub-Zero. "Now, about this 'girlfriend' business…"

"Oh no," I crossed my arms. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Aw, c'mon," he patted his lap. "Come sit and we'll discuss this."

"Very funny."

"_You _brought it up."

"That was just a slip of the tongue!" I argued.

"Come here girl, and slip me some more of that tongue."

"Get away from me, you pervert!"

He gasped in mock surprise.

"I mean it, Johnny. I will kick you so hard."

"Thy scourge on my heart only strengthens my will to love thee! Hurt as it may!"

"Johnny!" I laughed.

"Okay, okay, fine. We can talk about the label stuff later. But right now—come here."

I coyly took a step closer. "Why?"

"I just want to squeeze you a little."

* * *

><p>The four of us went out to dinner that night at one of Johnny's favorite bars.<p>

I hadn't had a chance to talk to Sub-Zero alone yet, but I was having fun making him uncomfortable just by winking at him and throwing some subtle head-motions in Scorpion's direction.

Johnny ordered a round of beers for us while the conversation turned to the likelihood of the ninjas getting real jobs.

"They don't have to," Johnny shrugged. "I don't mind playing host for a while."

I gave Johnny a look, then turned to stare at the ninjas seated across from us. "And how long is a while? Do you guys have any real skills? Y'know, pertaining to the usefulness in normal society?"

Scorpion scoffed. "I have more important things to focus my energies on."

"Like what?" I frowned.

"I'm going to hunt Quan-Chi down and kill him."

"I'm going to help!" Sub-Zero chimed in, already on his second beer.

I took a swig from my own beer, to keep from rolling my eyes.

Johnny put his arm around me. "It's really not a problem, babe. I can't tell you how many people I've mooched off of when I started my acting career. I'm sure our friends here will pay me back. And even if they don't I won't resent them for being lazy, lazy leeches."

Sub-Zero's tone was flat. "Thanks, Johnny."

I shifted in my seat, letting most of my weight lean into Johnny's side. He really was a good guy. All the more reason I didn't want him to be taken advantage of. But, I couldn't really imagine Scorpion or Sub-Zero in regular blue-collar jobs either. The former being unpredictable and hot-tempered, and the latter being a bit spoiled and arrogant.

More beer came and went as I filled them in on the situation with Sindel and our almost-finished home-grown portal.

"Looks like we'll be going back to Edenia soon," Johnny commented. I couldn't tell if he sounded excited or not.

I nodded slowly so as not to make myself dizzy. I felt warm and sleepy, having had a little more to drink than I originally planned on.

Scorpion shook his head. "I'm not going."

The muscles in my neck immediately tightened in frustration. "What do you mean you're not going?"

Sub-Zero nearly pouted. "Why not?"

"Why should I?" came the ex-dead guy's response. Bastard.

I leaned forward. "To help Kitana. To see our friends—Oh, that's right. You don't have any."

"Hey," Johnny pulled me back a little. He looked back to Scorpion. "C'mon now, what if we need your help with something? What if Tarkatans attack?"

"It has nothing to do with me," Scorpion stated matter-of-factly.

_See? _I wanted to tell Sub-Zero. _THIS is the guy you're so lovesick over. _

But the ice-powered assassin was already scowling at Scorpion. "You _are _going to Edenia. If it weren't for Kitana you'd still be locked up in that cell, being nothing more than a plaything for Mileena. Until she grew tired of you, or worse."

Scorpion's face was nothing but hard lines.

"And," Sub-Zero continued. "If it weren't for Kitana, her healers would never have worked so urgently to heal your wounds. How unfortunate would that have been—if the fearsome Scorpion died _a second time_ from such unworthy injuries, unable to fulfill his quest for vengeance? You ARE going there with us, any time we are called upon, either by Kitana OR Lord Raiden, and you ARE going to shut up about it!"

Johnny and I were frozen, staring dumbly at the small scene in front of us. If I had been sober I would have probably noticed the worried looks from the other patrons in the bar, but as it was all I could do was hold my breath and hope to God that Johnny and I wouldn't have to intervene in any bloodshed that was most likely about to happen.

I was completely stunned when all the tension in Scorpion's large frame suddenly dissipated, his shoulders drooping, followed by grumbling. After a moment of brooding he said, "Fine. I'll go."

Sub-Zero nodded, looking absolutely pleased with himself. He turned to give Johnny and I a smirk that said _There. That wasn't so hard._

"Whatever," I mumbled. Even if Scorpion was a great fighter, I didn't think we'd need him really. Or that attitude of his.

I glanced his way to find him staring at me. "What?" I snapped.

"I assume you've kept up with your training," he said.

It was starting to become difficult to hold myself upright. "I workout everyday."

Scorpion hummed in thought. "We've been slacking off. If we are expecting to fight, we should begin training. Tomorrow, preferably."

Sub-Zero seemed to agree. Big surprise.

But Johnny made a face. "I don't wanna. Besides, it's the weekend, Sonya's here, I'm writing a screenplay…"

"We've been idle long enough." Sub-Zero took the beer bottle in his hand and proceeded to freeze it to the tabletop, a puff of frost ghosting over my hand. "And drinking enough."

"Hey! Not in public!" I whispered sharply. Then, to Johnny, "What does he mean?"

My sort-of-boyfriend leaned back against his chair in exasperation. "Oh, c'mon, Subby. We haven't been drinking _that _much."

"Subby?!"

Scorpion let out a bark of laughter.

Ignoring Sub-Zero's new nickname, I poked Johnny in the ribs for more of an explanation.

"So we've been going out a few nights a week." Johnny said dismissively. "What's the big deal?"

"_You _two have been going out more often than not," Subby pointed his finger accusingly. "I don't always have the need for alcohol."

Johnny frowned. "So you don't drink as much as we do. Again, not seeing the problem here…"

I was only a little concerned that Johnny and Scorpion were suddenly drinking buddies. But they were adults, and I told myself only to really worry when it was apparent that one of them had a serious problem. The one being Johnny, especially.

"Could be using that money for food," Sub-Zero grumbled.

I looked at the former Lin Kuei. "Hmm?"

"There's next to nothing in his fridge," he explained.

Johnny let out an exaggerated sigh. "You know I don't cook! And I don't see you volunteering!"

Sub-Zero's face turned slightly pink. "I never said I _could_, short of roasting an animal on a spit. Just…somebody should."

Men. So helpless.

Johnny coughed. "Well, now that I think about it, we _do _have a cook in the family… Scorpion…"

Said man jumped when he heard his name—apparently busy daydreaming only to find the three of us staring at him.

"What?" he asked, wary.

"You're always boasting about how great a chef you are!" Johnny accused. "Cook for us!"

"Wha-? No, I don't!"

"Yes you do," Sub-Zero agreed.

"Lies!"

"Truths!"

I slammed the palm of my hand down on the table. "Okay, okay! Enough!" I turned to Scorpion, giving him my best 'you-better-not-fuck-with-me' look that I could in my condition. "So, we'll buy some real food stuff tomorrow, and you can cook for all of us."

Scorpion looked at all of us in turn, finding no sympathy.

"All right, fine," he growled. "I'll make the best damn meal of your lives. Be prepared to have your asses handed to you on a…plate of… Forget it."

* * *

><p>I couldn't remember how we got back to Johnny's place that night. But the next thing I knew he was carrying me to his bed.<p>

He laid me down gently and I grabbed his wrist before he pulled away.

"Thank you," I murmured, half-asleep. For what, I didn't really know. I just had the feeling I should say something. My eyes slowly began to flutter close as I felt him place a soft kiss to my temple.

I smiled and snuggled peacefully into the pillow. _Thank you._

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm a sucker for Johnny/Sonya. Hope you don't mind._

_Now, I think it's time I answered some reviews since I've been away so long!_

**Your Failing Epicness: **_Don't die! I have more fluff planned! And I've been debating on whether or not to go full-blown(haha) smut in later chapters or just tastefully hint at it...maybe both. We'll see._

**HavenRose: **_Thank you! I hope you weren't too disappointed that it took me forever to update. _

**Nightwing: **_Thank you so much! I'm improving...hopefully. Right now I'm a bit rusty but I want to give you guys the best I can right now. Oh and Smoke will come back, I promise!_

**Krazzykitteh: **_You're too kind, thank you! Haha, Smoke used to be one of my faves growing up. I can't leave him out for too long...but the gang is still gonna be in Earthrealm for a few more chapters I think. I try to plan things out ahead of time, but when I start writing the characters kind of take me somewhere else._

_And thank you to everyone else that reviewed! And lurked! If even one person reads this story I will be happy to continue writing it. (:_

_Thanks again, cheers~_


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